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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29334498">A Graceless Tandem</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frickles/pseuds/Frickles'>Frickles</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Buddy-Cop, F/M, Romantic Comedy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 11:48:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>44,471</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29334498</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frickles/pseuds/Frickles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Newly minted auror Harry Potter is assigned to partner with the DMLE's loose cannon, Nymphadora Tonks, on her last chance with the Department. buddy-cop, Honks fic.<br/>If you want to read the story with italics, emboldened words, and proper formatting, check it out on FFN. Ao3 doesn't handle the conversion well.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Potter/Nymphadora Tonks, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>63</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>June 21, 1999</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“DMLE! Don’t move or we’ll cast!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The three men turned, while the fourth quickly scooped a handful of Galleons out of the register and into a cloth sack. “It’s done, let’s get out of here!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I said freeze, you low-life sacks of shite!” The four men turned, one blowing a hole in the wall of Dervish &amp; Banges and running out to the streets. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Incarcerous!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Ropes flew out of her wand, wrapping around one of the crooks. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tonks!” Savage shouted, gasping for air as he finally caught up. “Dammit, wait for me!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She ignored him, running through the hole in hot pursuit of the other three, racing down the cobblestone streets of Hogsmeade. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Stupefy!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her spell flew over their head. One of them skidded to a halt, turning back and bringing his wand to bear. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Everbero!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The dark blue light of the Bludgeoning Hex streaked towards her. Tonks reacted almost instantly, her legs thickening, muscle tissue growing and expanding as she morphed. Lightening the rest of her body, she barely had to squat in order to leap five feet into the air, pulling her legs tight against her body as the spell passed harmlessly beneath her. She landed, body back in a more normal configuration, and smoothly continued chasing them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately for her partner, Savage, who’d emerged from the shop and was running behind her, took the hex directly in the face, falling to the ground with a cry of pain. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Reducto!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tonks enunciated, but before the spell left her wand, her foot landed on a stray pebble. Trying to balance herself from the unexpected misstep, her arm flung to the side and her Reductor Curse went wildly off mark, smashing into the side of Scrivenshafts and blowing out an entire wall of the shop. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She barely noticed, though, her arms windmilling as she twisted and fell to the hard stone ground. A moment later, the tell-tale </span>
  <em>
    <span>cracks</span>
  </em>
  <span> of apparition sounded, the remaining three thieves having made their escape. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ow!” She said, rubbing her elbow and sitting up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Donks, ewe idjet!” Savage said, speaking through his broken nose and missing several teeth. “‘ook what ewe did!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A crashing sound drew her attention, as part of the roof of Scrivenshafts collapsed. “Gods </span>
  <em>
    <span>damn</span>
  </em>
  <span> it!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>LINE BREAK</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good morning, Mum,” His mother looked half-asleep, fumbling in the cupboard for a mug to make her tea. “I’ve already got a cuppa for you at the table under a warming charm. Your breakfast is just about ready, too.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She shuffled over to press a kiss to the side of his head and ruffle his hair before taking a seat and gratefully sipping out of the steaming mug. “I did such a great job raising you,” she said after a few more drinks. “What time did you even get up?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Four-thirty for my workout, started breakfast about two hours later. Any plans for today?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Nothing beyond going back to bed. I shouldn’t have let your godfather talk me into that second bottle of wine.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> a pretty wild party. Good thing I insisted on family-only, huh? Can’t imagine what the press would say about Lady Potter, rising star of the Wizengamot, letting loose like that!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She groaned. “Hey, cut me some slack. It’s not every day that my only son graduates from the Auror Academy at the top of his class!” She unfurled the napkin that he’d designed into a fan, setting it on her lap as Harry placed a piece of quiche and several slices of melon in front of her. “Looks wonderful! Thank you, honey.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No problem. It was a nice way to distract myself from my nerves.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“First days are like that. By the way, I’m surprised you didn’t invite Ginevra to the party last night. Everything okay?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He shrugged, turning back to the stove. “I did invite her, but she’s still a little upset that I missed her graduation from Hogwarts.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His mother at least had the good grace to wipe away her frown a few moments after he sat down at the table with his own plate. “That’s hardly fair. You were still at the Academy when she graduated.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you know how Ginny is.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I do, indeed,” she said, the sour tone that was so often present in her voice when the topic of his girlfriend of four years came up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully - in his opinion, at least - his father chose that moment to step into the kitchen, already in his crimson auror robes. “Harry. All set for your first day?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“As ready as I’ll ever be!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not with those wrinkles in your uniform, you’re not.” Harry scrambled out of his seat, examining stepping closer to the window to examine his own robes in the morning light. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh James, really. His robes look fine.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine’s not enough, Harry’s the Head Auror’s son. There’s expectations within the Department. He has to be better than fine.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Squaring his shoulders, he nodded at his father. “I will be.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His father looked him over once more, apparently satisfied at what he saw. “Now, because of our relationship, Amelia’s decided it would be inappropriate for me to assign you your first partner. She’s decided to hand that responsibility to Rufus.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What?!” Lily scowled. “Why </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>? He’s hated you ever since you were promoted instead of him!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry put a hand on his mother’s arm to placate her. “It’s okay, Mum. If he’s harder on me than the others, it will just make me that much of a better auror, right Dad?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Right,” James confirmed, just a hint of uncertainty present in his voice. “And remember, at the Department I’m Auror Potter… err, Potter.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Lily laughed gaily, standing to set her empty plate in the sink. “Have a good day, you two. I love you.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>LINE BREAK</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I still don’t understand why you thought it was a good idea to use a Reductor in this situation.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“They were using violent spells against us! I mean, just look at Tom, he’s a mess.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Amelia Bones, the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement rubbed her aching temples. The owner of Scrivenshafts had chewed her out for almost thirty minutes, over not only the damage to his building, but the loss of his inventory. Combine that with the fact that the thieves made off with over fifty Galleons from Dervish &amp; Banges, and all in all the DMLE’s public reputation had taken a major hit this evening. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Eye’n done, won’ work wif ‘er!!” Savage ground out, having delayed meeting with mediwizards until they’d filed their report. Tonks secretly thought he just didn’t want to miss her getting chewed out by Bones. “Yer a menath!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, don’t blame me for your bad reflexes, Pops! We would’ve got all of them if you could keep up with me!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tonks, that’s not helping,” Bones said. “Savage, will you reconsider?” He made a rude gesture and left, seeking out the on-site healer.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tonks shrugged. “It’s his loss.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Scrimgeour, up til now standing quietly in the corner, growled in irritation. “Wrong, it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> loss. That was your seventh partner in two years. No one wants to work with you, you’re way too reckless.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Reck- are you kidding me? I have the highest arrest rate in the department!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And the most complaints for excessive force, and the highest damage bill, too. I should have your badge for this.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Easy Rufus,” Bones said, her calm tones cutting through the tension. “Tonks, you need to straighten up. There’s a reason that we have the protocols we do; sometimes the bad guys may take advantage of that, but that’s part of the job.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She flushed at the forthright criticism from the Director, who Tonks held in the highest esteem. “Sorry.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re on desk duty until we can find you a new partner.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Desk duty?!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Nymphadora,” the undercurrent of anger finally appeared in Amelia’s voice, shutting down any reaction Tonks might have had at the use of her name. “Aurors don’t work alone. If we can’t find someone willing to partner with you, then you’re out.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay,” she said quietly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re on your last chance. Don’t make me regret giving it to you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>LINE BREAK</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He’d been standing at attention for almost ten minutes. Ten minutes, of total silence, is an absolute </span>
  <em>
    <span>eternity</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but Harry gave no indication of discomfort. How could he? He was </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally</span>
  </em>
  <span> an auror! His father had been grooming him for this day since he was old enough to grip a wand for Merlin’s sake! </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Rufus Scrimgeour filled in the last line of the parchment in front of him, setting it aside and finally looking up. “Potter.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, sir.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He opened a desk drawer, withdrawing a personnel file. “NEWTs in Charms, Transfiguration, DADA, Runes, and Potions. Top marks in duelling, stealth, decision-making. First in your class at the Academy. Glowing recommendations from each of your instructors.” Tossing the file onto his desk, he glared at Harry. “No doubt a bunch of brown-nosers looking to gain favour from your father.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry didn’t react, exerting considerable self-control to keep his gaze locked on the wall behind Scrimgeour rather than roll his eyes. The Senior Auror continued, “It’s customary to assign rookies to a Senior Auror, such as myself, to allow them to benefit from the hard-won experience our veterans can offer.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, sir.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That being said, it’s been years since we’ve had such a… stellar trainee join our ranks. I’m sure that there’s nothing you already don’t know, that right Potter?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No sir.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t be modest. Everyone here’s heard your father bragging about his son for years. He’s not the type to exaggerate, is he?” Harry didn’t know how to respond to that, so he didn’t. “I asked you a question, Potter!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Err, no sir.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Excellent!” Scrimgeour’s grin promised ill tidings. “In that case, after considering your record-breaking marks at the Academy, your remarkable qualifications, and your obviously rock-solid temperament, I’ve decided that such an extraordinary new auror deserves an unprecedented assignment.’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not necessary, sir.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Nonsense! Come along, let me introduce you to your new partner.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry followed the Senior Auror out of his office, walking into the DMLE’s ‘bullpen’, a cubicle-farm where the lower-ranked aurors all shared space. He came to a stop, a smug grin making its way over his features as he gestured for Harry to step closer. “Meet your new partner, Potter.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Stepping forward, Harry looked around the cubicle wall, getting his first look at who he’d be answering to for the next eighteen months. His eyes ran along a pair of slim, long legs that were propped up on the desk, encased in a pair of black tights. Just a hint of pale flesh peeked out, a too-short Kinks t-shirt riding up with each breath. The tight shirt did nothing to disguise the shape of her breasts but his eyes didn’t linger, continuing their path along the scoop-neck of her shirt to the graceful lines of her neck, up to her heart-shaped face, where a lock of pink hair rose and fell as the woman gently snored. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Junior</span>
  </em>
  <span> Auror Tonks,” Scrimgeour said loudly. “TONKS! Wake your lazy arse up!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her long eyelashes fluttered, and one brown eye opened to peek up at who interrupted her sleep. “Oh, it’s you,” she muttered, before adjusting the balled up auror robes she was using as a pillow and closing her eyes again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Get up and meet your new partner. Nymphadora-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>call</span>
  </em>
  <span> me that!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“-Tonks, meet Harry Potter.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The look she gave him was about as unflattering as he’d ever received. “This kid? He looks like he should be sitting down for his OWLs, not joining the DMLE. The fuck is this about, Scrimgeour?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Remember our chat this morning, Tonks. You’re on thin ice. Carry on, you two,” And with that, he walked away, whistling happily. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s a pleasure to be working with you, Auror Tonks. I’ve heard some impressive stories about you from my father and my godfa-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Listen up, kid. You’re my punishment for being more interested in getting scum off the streets than I am in kissing the right arse. I’m not your friend, I’m not your instructor, and I’m not interested in showing you the ropes. Remember three things, and I won’t have to rearrange your face: number one, when we’re out there-” she jabbed her finger towards the exit. “-stay quiet and don’t get in my way. Number two, </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> ever refer to me as anything other than Auror Tonks, ‘boss’, or maybe - </span>
  <em>
    <span>maybe</span>
  </em>
  <span> - ‘Tonks’ if I should ever decide you’ve graduated from your nappies and found some use other than staying out of my way.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry tried not to sigh. “And number three?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tonks stood up and stretched, the threads of her t-shirt suddenly straining as her breasts quadrupled in size. “Don’t fall in love, kid, you’ll never be able to handle me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry had prepared to be an auror his whole life, but not even he could stop from rolling his eyes at that. “That won’t be a problem.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” she chirped, a wide smile breaking out as her hair shifted from shoulder-length pink curls to a flaxen-colored bob. “Well, let’s get to the morning briefing!”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The DMLE, as far as real estate went, was the second largest in the Ministry of Magic. Only the Department of Mysteries was bigger - supposedly - but due to the nature of their work, no one could really be certain of that. No matter, the point was that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was </span>
  <em>
    <span>huge</span>
  </em>
  <span>, consuming the entirety of the second level of the Ministry. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The problem was, Harry realized as he followed Tonks into the ready room, that the scope of duties that the DMLE was responsible for meant that the second level just wasn’t big enough. Case in point, the ready room, where every auror met at the start of each shift, was practically standing room only. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Since Tonks was starting the second half of a double, the extra time it took her to get her robes on meant that there were almost no seats left by the time they arrived. She craned her neck, even sprouting several inches with her abilities to try and find an empty spot. Harry used the opportunity to hit her with a few silent grooming charms, ironing out the wrinkles in her robes from using them as a pillow. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ahhh, there we go!” She muttered in exultation, spotting two empty seats in the middle of the room and hustling over as his father approached the podium. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry followed her but ended up the loser in an impromptu game of musical chairs as Tonks slid one chair a few inches forward, sitting down in one and propping her feet up on the other. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Junior Auror Potter, is there a problem?” His father raised one eyebrow, and every head in the room turned to look at him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Rookie’s stand in the back, kid,” Tonks whispered, blowing him a kiss. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No sir, no problem.” He awkwardly shuffled out of the row of filled seats, muttering apologies and trying not to step on anyone’s feet. He was sure that his cheeks were glowing brighter than a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lumos</span>
  </em>
  <span> charm by the time he blessedly made it to the back of the room. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Now that we’re all settled,” James began, momentarily glowering at him, “Let’s run through the assignments for this shift. Proudfoot, you and Robards are on Diagon Alley. Yaxley and Shacklebolt, Hogsmeade. Scrimgeour’s leading the investigations team; Dawlish and Savage, you’re with him. Longbottom and Williamson, you’re with the hitwizards today. Tonks and Potter, you two are backing up Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. Any questions?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yea, why am I babysitting obliviators when I’m the only one to get a good look at the suspects at the Hogsmeade break-in last night?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>James levelled what Harry liked to call his ‘Head Auror glare’ at Tonks. “If you have to ask that question, you might need to consult the obliviators yourself, as you must have somehow forgotten that we have one of them in custody. Savage will be interrogating him.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Please don’t argue, please don’t argue, please don’t argue’</span>
  </em>
  <span> “What the hell! The only reason we even got one of them is because of me!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You have your assignments. Dismissed.” Everyone stood up, and while they were filing out his father continued, “Tonks, Potter, a word.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>LINE BREAK</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No offence, rookie, but your dad’s a right arse.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What did you expect? You can’t defy an order from the Head Auror like that! And in front of half the aurors in the Department, no less!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tonks scowled at him, her eyebrows arching unnaturally. “He was wrong. I was the one to bring the suspect in, I should be part of the case. And maybe someday when your bollocks drop, you’ll realize that some things are more important than deference to authority - even if that means going against your daddy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He opened his mouth to respond but she’d already continued on their way towards DMAC. “Hey!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her hair was back to its pink curls. “So you’re just out of the Academy, right? How’d you do on your Memory Charm practical?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, fine. Outstanding, same on reversal, too.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s good, I was always pants at obliviations. Your mum’s a muggleborn, so I assume you’ll have no problems dealing with muggles.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course! But, we won’t actually be obliviating anyone, will we? I thought we were just back up, y’know, extra muscle.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tonks grinned, rolling up the sleeve of her robes to reveal a massive, veiny, muscle-bound bicep. “Damn straight, rook. But there’s only one obliviation team on duty per shift; if, for some reason, there are several accidents that pop up, we get the nod.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Got it, boss,” he said, and she looped her unnaturally brawny arm around his neck, only releasing him and reversing her morph when they walked through the door to the DMAC.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ha! This might work out after all. Hey Peasegood! Got your first assignment of the day. Your wife firecalled and requested an obliviation to erase the memory of last night in the sack!” The obliviator staffing Magical Accidents and Catastrophes just rolled his eyes and lazily waved a greeting, clearly used to the mercurial junior auror. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>What followed was hours of mind-numbing boredom. Tonks napped, and the obliviators had a game of exploding snap going, tossing Sickles into a pot. Harry had been assigned to monitor the Floo, his punishment for citing the Ministry regulations on illegal gambling.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was well into the afternoon, nearing the end of their shift, when the call finally came. “Hello?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes? This is the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, what’s your emergency?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A woman’s nervous face appeared in the Floo, silhouetted in green flame. “I, uh, I’m afraid that my sons have caused a bit of a spectacle.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wher- </span>
  <em>
    <span>whoa!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Harry cried out, tumbling to the floor as Peasegood shoved him aside.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What sort of spectacle?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“They may have, um, taken an enchanted car out to a muggle village. And then flown it home.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Flown it? A flying car? Which village?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ottery St. Catchpole.” Harry didn’t need more than one guess to determine the culprits of this matter. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, Mr Weasley…’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Harry thought with a sigh.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re on our way. Saddle up, men, got our first job of the day!” The other three obliviators pulled on their robes and quickly met Peasegood at the Floo. “You two stay here, in case there’s another call. I’d normally leave one of my men with you, but with an entire muggle village possibly needing obliviation… well, it’s all hands on deck for us.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No worries, me and the kid got it covered.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Peasegood paused, as though he just realized exactly </span>
  <em>
    <span>who</span>
  </em>
  <span> he was leaving in charge, then shrugged and stepped through the Floo. Harry smoothed out the wrinkles in his robes, almost grateful that he’d been shoved aside. He’d have hated to be the one who had to write the citation for his girlfriend’s family. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t look so nervous, duty at the DMAC is even more boring than one of Binns’ lectures,” Tonks said, pushing two of the abandoned chairs together and conjuring a pillow. “Just wake me up if there’s another-” The fireplace flared, flames turning green. “Dammit.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello, what’s your emergency?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Where’s Peasegood? Who’re you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s out in the field, I’m an auror with the DMLE.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I suppose you’ll do. Under-age sensors lit up; looks like a muggleborn’s been causing trouble.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ah, this must be Mafalda Hopkirk, at the Improper Use of Magic Office. “Address?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Number 8, Kingsbridge Way, outside of Manchester.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you for the report, Madam, we’re on it!” ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes!’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>His first trip into the field as an auror!</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Merlin’s balls, kid, you are way too excitable. No one’s ever that nice to Hopkirk; better watch out or the old bag’s going to get the wrong idea about you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Can we go?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, fine.” She tossed some Floo powder into the hearth, calling out “DMLE departure zone!” then stepped through. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Due to the nature of their work, aurors, hitwizards, and obliviators had access to a special, ward-free apparition and portkey area, deep in the Department. It was one of the most closely held secrets in the Ministry; not even the Minister himself was aware of its location or name. Stepping out of the fireplace, Harry was… unimpressed. It was a plain room, with white walls and tile flooring, about half the size of the ready room. He didn’t have time for more than a cursory look, though, before Tonks grabbed his arm and he felt the squeezing sensation of a side-along apparition.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! I can apparate myself, you know!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tonks grinned, pulling off her robes and stowing them in an expanded pocket. “I didn’t want you to splinch yourself and force me to do all the work here </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> put you back together.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>This is seriously getting old, and it hasn’t even been a full day’</span>
  </em>
  <span> But his father always said a good auror is patient, coolheaded, and serious, so Harry brushed off his irritation. “Please, do not side-along me again, Auror Tonks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh please, you’ve been waiting for me to sidle up to you all day,” she teased and then cackled at his indignant sputtering. “Which house do you reckon is Number 8?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Probably the one with police cars in front,” he said, already walking in that direction. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As they approached, he could hear raised voices and a child crying. The front door was open, so the sound easily carried to him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“-told you, you both will have to come with us!” That’d be one of the bobbies. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A woman’s voice, slightly hysterical. “But we don’t know anything! It’s not us that’s doing it!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Your neighbours reported this is the fourth time since April that your windows have blown out like this. What’ve you got going here, some sort of drug lab? Explosive materials?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A different man’s voice, equally distressed. “Nothing of the sort! Take a look for yourself!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, we will. But you’re still coming with us. We’ll drop your son with the social care team at the local council, but you two will-, what’s this, then? Who’re you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Stupefy. Stupefy.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” The muggle police dropped like twin stones, and the three members of the muggleborn family screamed in terror. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tonks!” She aimed a furious glare at him, and for a moment he wondered whether she was about to fire off a third spell, but this time in his direction. “I mean, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Auror</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tonks, that was highly inappropriate!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shift’s almost over, Rook, let’s speed things up. You two, come on over, we’re not here to hurt you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Put your wand away, boss.” They were in obvious distress, the mother clutching her son - who appeared to be around six or seven years old - and the father standing protectively in front of them. Harry held up both his hands, palms out. “We can explain what’s been causing these accidents with your boy, if you’ll let us.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Who- who are you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m Harry Potter, and this is Ny- this is Tonks. We’re aurors - like your police - with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I’m reaching for my badge, don’t be alarmed,” his hand slid into his robes, withdrawing his shiny brass auror badge. “See? It’s our responsibility to sort out issues like this.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“‘Magical law enforcement’? What are you- is this a joke? You </span>
  <em>
    <span>assaulted </span>
  </em>
  <span>those policemen!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not a joke, and they’re fine, just unconscious. I heard a bit of your argument as we approached; strange things have been happening around your son for a while now, yes?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s a wizard. It’s common for magical children to exhibit displays of accidental magic in moments of high stress.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The mother looked as though she’d relaxed a bit, judging by her loosening hold on her child. “You- you’re saying magic is </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry grinned. “It absolutely is, Mrs…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Smith. I’m Jane, this is my husband David, and our son, Ryan.” The boy peered out from his mother’s arms, eyeing Harry’s robes in obvious curiosity. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi, Ryan,” he said, squatting on his heels to meet the boy’s eyes. “I’m guessing you were a bit upset when everything happened earlier, weren’t you?” He nodded shyly. “It wasn’t your fault. I had several times when I got mad and my magic reacted, too.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So this is normal?” the boy’s father asked. “How did your family not attract unwanted attention?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Both of my parents are magical, so it wasn’t as much of a concern. Some Ministry officials will visit you tomorrow to explain more specifics, including how Ryan will receive education on controlling outbursts like this one.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So the government knows about magic?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well… in a way. The Ministry of Magic is a separate entity, but the muggle - err, that’s our term for nonmagical - government is aware of our existence, yes.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“This is… this is too much,” Mr Smith looked like he needed a belt of hard liquor to make it through this conversation. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know it must be shocking. My mum’s family are muggles, just like you, and she told me about how difficult it was to learn all this. As I said, you’ll receive more information tomorrow; even wizards tend to keep to business hours, after all.” His lighthearted comment got the intended result, and Mrs Smith tittered politely. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon, rookie, the bobbies’ve been Charmed, time to go.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mister?” Ryan asked quietly. “Can you really do magic?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I sure can.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Can- can I see?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry gave him a kindly smile, looking around the room for a moment. He pulled out his wand and with a casual wave, the sofa turned into a polar bear, balancing on a large ball and waving happily to the family. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Whoa…</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Pretty neat, isn’t it? Someday, you’ll be able to do that, and more.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Rookie! Let’s move out!” Harry’s smile became fixed and strained but nonetheless remained as he reversed his transfiguration and stepped towards the front door. “Listen, Mr Smith - once we’re gone, the police will wake up. They’ll think that some neighbourhood vandals broke your windows with rocks, and won’t remember our presence, nor what happened before we arrived. Just play along and you’ll be fine.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, I understand, thank-” Tonks latched onto Harry’s shoulder and vanished with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>crack</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I said stop doing that!” Tonks didn’t reply immediately, giving him a strange look out the side of her eye. “What? What is it?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re pretty good with kids, huh?” His eyebrows furrowed at the softness of her voice and the suddenly hesitant nature of posture. “Bet you’ll make a good father one of these days.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In his surprise, he felt his cheeks warm. “Why, uh, what does that have to do with-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His stuttering confusion ground to a halt as Tonks howled with laughter, bent over at the waist and barely keeping herself on her feet. “You, </span>
  <em>
    <span>haha</span>
  </em>
  <span>, should have seen, </span>
  <em>
    <span>ha</span>
  </em>
  <span>, your face!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry didn’t reply, choosing instead to stand silently in the departure zone while she let out loud peals of laughter. Eventually, she straightened herself out, her features slowly turning serious. “Bet you thought my ovaries were going to explode watching you play house with that little boy, huh? Think again, rook. While I’m sure that </span>
  <em>
    <span>Witch Weekly’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> subscribers would have creamed their trou’ watching that scene, that shite ain’t gonna work on me.” She pointed downward with both fingers, and his already warm face heated up even more when he realized what she was gesturing towards. “These bits are ‘entrance-only’; I don’t want kids and I don’t like kids. So the next time you think that playing hero for a muggleborn is more important than obeying </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> orders, I’m going to take your bollocks and add them to my earring collection!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“‘Fine’, what?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, Auror Tonks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s better! Now come on, we need to file our report and send a memo to Hopkirk. Hope your handwriting’s as good as your transfiguration.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry nodded, willing his flush to recede. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And I’m sure your old man told you about the tradition for a rookie’s first shift, didn’t he?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s customary - some might call it a bit of hazing - for a new auror to buy his partner a drink after his first shift.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That didn’t sound very appealing to Harry. “I, uh, I have plans after work. With my girlfriend.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She gently cuffed the back of his head. “I didn’t ask about your plans but it doesn’t matter anyway,” she said, holding out one hand expectantly. “Well?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, what?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re buying me a drink, remember? Three Galleons ought’ta suffice.” Once again, he was caught flat-footed, stunned at Tonks’ audacity while she laughed at him once more. “You thought-! I said you’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>buy</span>
  </em>
  <span> me a drink, not drink </span>
  <em>
    <span>with</span>
  </em>
  <span> me! Oh, rook, that face! Listen, make it five Galleons and I won’t tell your girlfriend how disappointed you were that your first shift didn’t end at a bar with your hotter, more experienced, and more mature new partner.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At this point, Harry would have given her fifty Galleons to finish this shift, so he reached under his robes, pulling out some coins from his pocket and slapping them into her outstretched palm. What a day. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>LINE BREAK</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As was typical for most of Harry’s life, his father was working late, so he spent the evening preparing dinner for his mother and sitting with her, listening to Tutshill take on Puddlemere over the Wireless. As was also typical for most of Harry’s life, his mother wore him down and he found himself describing his first day, and the many humiliating moments it contained. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Feeling a bit better after the opportunity to vent, Harry firecalled Ginny, who was quite upset that her father had received a fine for enchanting a muggle auto. He patiently listened and offered sympathy, despite how rough his first shift had been. He felt a bit resentful that she didn’t ask about </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>day. With twilight descending, Harry decided that the best way to work off some of his frustration was to take a spin on his broom, and so he departed through his bedroom window and took a long, adrenaline-inducing spin around the family manor. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Coming in the front door, he heard his parents talking, and he paused when he heard his name mentioned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Harry told me all about his first day,” his mother said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s about what we both expected. Scrimgeour dumped him on Tonks, and I can’t do a thing about it!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it really so bad? She was always a nice girl when Andi would visit Sirius.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His father released a heavy sigh. “She’s on her way out at the Department. Amelia’s pushed everyone’s patience to the limit making excuses for her, but the woman’s the exact opposite of what we demand our aurors be. She’s spell-happy, lackadaisical, and insubordinate. Frankly, I’d be surprised if she lasted another six months.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why does Amelia go to bat for her, then?” Harry was curious about that, himself. Madam Bones was even more serious about the image of a ‘proper’ auror than his father.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sees a bit of herself in Tonks’ background, I suppose. Amelia turned down a contract with Macmillan family right out of Hogwarts, and scored the highest marks in the Academy until Harry. She’s had to be twice as good as everyone else to get where she is today. I guess that she thinks Tonks has the potential to do the same.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“If Amelia thinks so highly of her, maybe her being Harry’s first partner won’t be the worst thing in the world.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I wish that were true,” his father said quietly. “By the time Tonks does get sacked, who knows how many reprimands, complaints, and incident reports will be attached to Harry’s name? She could end up poisoning his reputation just by association. There’s a reason that she’s still a Junior Auror, even after seven years in the Department.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well,” his mother said, the tiniest hint of mischievousness in her voice, “Maybe we should be working on improving Tonks’ reputation, and not protecting Harry’s?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Lily…” his father warned. “Don’t meddle.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What? I’m insulted by the very thought!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How is it that the Head Girl manages to get the biggest screw-up in Hogwarts’ history to finally straighten up and fly right, and somehow takes his place as a prankster in the process?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I won’t listen to such a scurrilous accusation, Auror Potter. All I meant was that I’d have a chat with Sirius tomorrow, learn a little more about this Nymphadora.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Right, certainly no mischief to be had when Padfoot’s around!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His parents laughed quietly together, and Harry crept his way up the stairs. He’d known, based on her interactions with her peers, that Tonks wasn’t particularly well-liked, but he hadn’t realized quite the extent. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Would it really be the worst thing if she got sacked, and I got reassigned?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he wondered, then shut that line of thought down immediately.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>For all her eccentricities, Tonks was an auror. He’d never betray a comrade like that. No, he’d just try even harder, and if a mistake occurred, or an incident happened, then he’d correct it. He’d been raised for this his entire life. Harry would-, he’d just have to be good enough to keep his </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tonks’ careers above water. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>July 2, 1999</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe I should just take a vacation. I have some leave accumulated…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yea, like, 2 days’ worth. Unless you forgot that week you spent in Wales with that muggle bloke back in February?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tonks’ eyes unfocused as she remembered the nine days she’d spent at a vacation cottage. “Oh, yea, feels like that was ages ago.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hestia giggled. “Whatever happened to him?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She shrugged. “It was fun but not the sort of thing that had any future. I ended it before I had to obliviate him, figured I’d at least leave him the memories of the best time he’ll ever have.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The two of them chuckled at her brazen confidence. Eventually, Hestia turned the topic back to their shared occupation. “How’s things with the new partner?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tonks’ hair shifted from the lime-green liberty spikes she’d fashioned that morning into soft pink curls. “He irritates me to no end. Honestly, Hestia, I’m tempted to toss a Knut on the ground and see if that stick up his arse is flexible enough to let him pick it up!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure, that’s the only reason you’d want to watch him bend over,” Hestia said with a sly grin. “You’ve got to admit, he’s pretty fit. Stick or not, he’s got a cracking arse.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You- you slag! He’s barely out of Hogwarts!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s your point? I recall you were dating an obliviator that was eleven years older than you when you were his age.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Tonks grimaced, pushing her food back and forth on her plate and looking around the Ministry cantina. “Anyway, sorry to break your heart, but he claims he’s got a girlfriend.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hestia snorted. “You sound sceptical.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I am, honestly. He’s here before me every morning and leaves after me. He’s constantly volunteering to fill out the paperwork and file our reports. I’m starting to think that the Head Auror conspired with the DoM to create a walking, talking auror handbook.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“In other words, he actually enjoys doing all the things that you hate about the job?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh…” She’d honestly never considered it that way. Most of the two weeks that Potter had been her partner, she’d spent mercilessly teasing him, exulting in how easy it was to fluster him. “I, I guess so.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Seems like a match made in heaven to me. If you don’t want him, send him to the hitwizards and I’ll happily take him off your hands.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Right, I think it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> hands I’m worried about,” Tonks said, morphing into a mirror image of her friend and saying in a singsong voice, “Oh Harry, let me help you with your uniform…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, boss?” Tonks’ morph cut out immediately, her hair taking on a mousy brown colour and lengthening down over her eyes. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>When had he shown up?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> “It’s almost time for us to do our day at the prison.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Almost</span>
  </em>
  <span> time isn’t time, rookie. Run along and play with your toys while the grown-ups talk!” she said, defaulting to her routine with her young partner after his surprise appearance. “Merlin! Kid follows me around like a lost puppy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hestia stared at her silently for almost a full minute. “You’re lucky. He’s a good partner.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Can we talk about something else?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>LINE BREAK</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Touring Azkaban was the worst of the garbage duties that aurors had to wade through, and so it should have been expected that she’d get stuck with it sooner or later. Ever since the incident in Hogsmeade, Tonks and Harry had been given the worst of the worst assignments - babysitting obliviators, anti-shoplifting duties, security sweeps of incoming cargo at the portkey terminal… honestly, you’d think that the Head Auror would be a little kinder to his own kid. Nepotism doesn’t get you as far as it used to, apparently.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The boat jerked, running aground as it reached the rocky beach. Thankfully, the tide wasn’t in, so her splash landing as she tipped forward into the icy water was mercifully shallow. Thank Merlin for drying charms, she thought, catching a glimpse of her partner’s expressionless gaze as she tapped herself with her wand. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You got something to say, rook?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, Auror Tonks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s what I thought.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She shouted the password to the guard manning the gates, which rumbled open as they approached. “Identify yourself!” The guard called.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Auror Tonks, here for the monthly inspection.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She shepherded the kid up to the warden’s office, where they heard the routine report (‘Everything’s normal’), and started their inspection, walking through the prison from top to bottom. As they descended into the High-Security Wing, Tonks ruffled her partner’s perennially messed up hair. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Listen up, rookie: High-Security is where the worst of the worst prisoners are, and where the dementors like to hang out. Unless things have changed, the Academy still uses a lethifold for Patronus shield training, don’t they?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, but-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, let me tell you - lethifolds got nothing on dementors. Just stay close to- not </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>close, not unless you buy me dinner first!” She caught the barest hint of a sigh as he took one step back. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Still got it! Now to rub it in a little’</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Count yourself lucky that you got me as a partner. I’m one of six aurors in the Department that can cast a corporeal Patronus, so you’ll be fine.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s really impressive,” he said sincerely.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, and my Patronus ain’t bad, either! Check it out,” she commanded, focusing on the day she graduated from the Academy and calling out the incantation. A glowing blue jackrabbit coalesced, energetically hopping in a circle around them while they walked down the filthy stone corridor. The shadows of dementors floated away as they approached but hovered steadily just out of sight. Harry looked pale, and she felt a twinge of sympathy. Merlin knows she used to be literally paralyzed with fear around dementors.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She rattled off the names of the prisoners and the reason for their incarceration, checking each cell as she did to note their presence. “And here we’ve got Bartemius Crouch Jr. In for life for the murder of the entire MacKinnon family, part of a group of pureblood extremists that the DMLE pursued in the late 70s for torturing muggles.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“The MacKinnon’s were purebloods, though.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s Rabastan Lestrange, and here’s Rudolphus. Yes, they were, but Marlene was the auror that identified them. They went after her and her whole family out of revenge. And last, but certainly not least, my insane aunt, Bellatrix ‘the bitch’ Le-, um.” The cell was empty. Tonks stepped closer to the bars, then practically leapt out of her skin as a bony, clutching hand swiped at her eyes, Bellatrix emerging from the corner of her cell.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Falling to the ground, Tonks dropped her wand, the jackrabbit Patronus winking out of existence. As though waiting for the opportunity, the dementors that had lurked at the edges of their patrol swarmed towards them. She reached out, trying to feel for her wand as their aura seemed to suck all of the air and light out of the corridor. By the time she grasped the handle, Tonks was unable to summon the requisite happy memory; instead, the disappointed voice of her father repeated on a loop in her mind. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Expecto Patronum!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” The bright light of a Patronus lit the dank corridor, the glowing stag galloping towards the dementors and driving them back before returning to their side, keeping patrol at a brisk canter. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tonks stared upward, her eyes eventually turning to see her partner, his pale face tinted blue in the reflection of his spell, hand extended to help her to her feet. “You- you can cast a corporeal patronus?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And you didn’t tell me?!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He shrugged. “You like to take the lead.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her gaze drifted towards the stag once more, watching it snort and stamp its foot before returning to its circuit around them. “Impressive,” she murmured.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And my Patronus ain’t bad, either,” he said, the barest hint of a smile on his face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Despite their surroundings, Tonks guffawed, her loud laughter echoing throughout the dreary prison. “You’re all right, rookie.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>LINE BREAK</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The one good part about Azkaban inspections was that any auror assigned to that shift got the rest of the day off. The mental strain of dementors was considered too great to send a team immediately back into active duty. Because of that, and the close call experienced at the prison, Tonks decided that she’d finally give in to her cousin’s repeated requests for her to stop by. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Of course, Sirius Black wasn’t the kind of person to ask </span>
  <em>
    <span>nine times</span>
  </em>
  <span> for her to visit over the last three weeks without an ulterior motive. She needed a buffer, and the newbie, who had some familiarity with her cousin, would serve that purpose nicely. It was for this reason that she was currently napping at her desk in the bullpen despite having been off work for over an hour. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Jeez</span>
  </em>
  <span>, how long does it take to fill out a report?” she’d finished her own in about three minutes, the rolled up parchment containing all the - in her opinion - relevant information of their Azkaban inspection.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, I’m ready to go!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“FINALLY!” she huffed, jumping to her feet. “Sweet Circe, are those your off-duty clothes?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s wrong with my outfit?” he asked, looking over his dress slacks, button-up shirt, and pinstriped tie. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You look like you’re-, never mind. Let’s head out.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The two made their way towards the lifts to head down to the public Floo, just as James Potter stepped out of his office. “Tonks, a word?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll meet you at the lifts, kid - and don’t you even </span>
  <em>
    <span>think</span>
  </em>
  <span> about sneaking off without me, or I’ll track you down and-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, relax already!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Relax already what?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll see you at the lifts, boss.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s better!” she said with a firm nod, waiting until he turned away to smile. “What’s up chief?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>James, who’d observed their interaction with an odd look, gestured towards his office, waiting for her to step inside before closing the door. “This won’t take long, I just wanted to congratulate you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“For what?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I won’t lie and say I was happy to learn my son had been assigned to you but you’ve really stepped up to the plate and done a fine job of leading by example. If you’d put in this kind of dedication your whole career, you’d have gotten your promotion by now.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Err, thanks, but I’m not really following you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>James leaned over his desk, snagging two pieces of parchment and handing them over. “Don’t be modest, Junior Auror. Your work speaks for itself.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She looked down at the two after-action reports of cargo inspection duty, one dated from six months prior and the other from the shift she and Harry had finished three days ago. The one from six months ago was definitely hers; a two-paragraph summary that basically said nothing happened. The other - despite being in her handwriting - was definitely </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>hers, though, a full foot-and-a-half length that itemized the sellers shipping goods, detailed the arrival times, who signed off for custody of the goods, and more. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I just wanted to say we’ve all noticed your renewed effort, and to keep up the good work. You’re dismissed.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tonks, walking backwards towards the door, narrowed her eyes at James Potter the whole way. His confused expression gave way to tired resignation, though, as she walked right into the coat rack and fell over. Jumping to her feet, she pulled a cloak and set of auror robes off her and, without a word, continued to glare suspiciously at him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t until she saw the younger Potter, leaning casually against the wall by the lifts and chatting amicably with a balding redheaded man - Arthur Weasley, she realized belatedly - that the pieces fell into place. Grabbing her partner’s collar, she dragged him into the lift, clearing out the other passengers with a furious glower. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as the doors closed, Tonks’ arms rippled, muscles growing and expanding as she pushed him against the walls of the lift, raising him close to a foot off the ground. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Who the hell do you think you are?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s the problem, boss?” Harry asked, looking supremely unconcerned at his position. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ve been turning in reports in my name?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You think you know </span>
  <em>
    <span>better</span>
  </em>
  <span> than me how to do this job?!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He steadily met her stormy eyes, and she had to hold herself back from doing something…. something </span>
  <em>
    <span>drastic</span>
  </em>
  <span> just to garner a reaction. Tonks took a deep breath, and lowered him to the floor, relaxing her powers. Morphing always was a good way to release some stress. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>When there wasn’t anyone around to provide a screaming orgasm, that is’</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Don’t do it again.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I wasn’t trying to offend you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You didn’t offend me, you just pissed me off. And how did you file those reports in my handwriting?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“There was a girl who sold notes in Gryffindor. She created a spell in Sixth Year to make them easier for her, uh, customers to read. And to charge more,” he added thoughtfully. “I put in a good word with a guy she had a thing for and she taught me the spell. I wonder what ever happened to Granger…?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Focus, newbie. This is why you’ve been coming in early, and staying late? Because you- you’re, what, re-doing all of my reports? What happened to the ones that I turned in?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Switching spells. I replaced them with blank parchment until…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The lift chimed and the doors opened. “We’ll discuss your punishment later. Come on.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Punishment? But-” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She dragged him to the Floo, grabbing a small handful of powder and calling out “The Gentleman’s Grotto!” in a clear voice.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Welcome to the Grotto, how can I help you?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tonks smacked the back of her partner’s head as they were greeted by a voluptuous woman wearing scandalous robes. “Don’t stare, rookie.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What? I wasn’t-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Lord Black is expecting me. Auror Tonks, with a plus one.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A dreamy voice spoke from underneath a nearby desk. “I hardly think that’s a deserving title for someone as remarkable as Harry Potter.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Luna?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A pale young woman with ash-blonde hair and wide, protuberant silver eyes popped up. “Hello, Harry!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doing here? And why are you under that desk?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m researching my next article. I’m the lead writer for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Playwizard! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Daddy suggested I get some experience writing for other publications before I take over </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Quibbler</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and Mr Black was nice enough to offer me the job right out of school.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yea, that checks out,” Tonks said looking between the ‘receptionist’ and this tiny, ethereal blonde with stringy hair. “Definitely wouldn’t have pegged you for a model-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up,” Harry hissed, rounding on her angrily. “Don’t you-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that little Nymphadora? And my godson!” Dressed in a bathrobe and holding a martini, Sirius Black descended a grand staircase like an emperor greeting his subjects. “It’s about time you showed up. I see you’ve met my new journalist!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“She’s way too good for your magazine, Padfoot, but as long as she’s happy, I’m happy for her.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius had joined the aurors with James right out of Hogwarts but didn’t really fit the mould of what a proper law enforcement official should be. He’d assumed the Black Lordship soon after, and once he’d passed the Wizengamot seat over to his younger brother, he went ahead and spent a full </span>
  <em>
    <span>third</span>
  </em>
  <span> of the family fortune buying </span>
  <em>
    <span>Playwizard</span>
  </em>
  <span> magazine outright. He’d followed that up by constructing an opulent mansion on some land that the Blacks had acquired a few centuries back, and offered for all the witches that modelled for the magazine the option of moving in. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Second best decision I’ve ever made, bringing her on. Now people can say they’re buying the magazine for the articles and there’s an even chance they’re not lying!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tonks took in the way that Luna smiled at her partner, and the way the kid’s eyes never wavered from the young woman’s face. “Wait, is this that girlfriend you mentioned?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry sputtered, and Luna simply shook her head. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>At least their little moment’s broken, serves him right for going behind my back on those reports!’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought triumphantly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What brings you to paradise?” Sirius asked, taking a sip of his martini and promptly spitting it out. “What the-!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>That</span>
  </em>
  <span> was for using that </span>
  <em>
    <span>name</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Black. You’d be surprised how easy it is to transfigure alcohol into urine, you filthy old mongrel!” Lowering her wand, she continued in a calmer tone. “And you’ve been harassing me for weeks to stop by. Well, here I am.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon, let’s have a chat in the parlour.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s go, rookie.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I think I’ll catch up with Luna, actually.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you think I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>asking</span>
  </em>
  <span>? I said let’s go.” Pulling him along, she shot an annoyed look at the waifish blonde. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Something about that girl is a bit off’</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Gotta say,” Sirius began, “You two are about the most unlikely duo I think I’ve ever seen. At least since Peter went into business with Zonko. Take a seat, can I offer you a drink?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You think I’m going to touch anything in this place? And newbie, I swear to Circe if you even think about wandering off, I’m going to strip you naked tomorrow and hit you with so many Scouring Charms that not even your daddy will recognize you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius raised his eyebrows. “Wow, and here I thought you were just partners at work.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Padfoot…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, okay, jeez. You can’t blame me, though, not when you’re both glaring at me with those identical expressions. Remember how your mom owed me a favour, after I reinstated her - and you- back into the family?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes…” she didn’t like where this was going.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, a favour that </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> owed got called in, so I’m calling in that favour-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“My mother owes you, not me!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He grinned. “Do you want to wait here for me to firecall Andi? Let me know, so I can reschedule this chat for six hours from now, to give her time to yell at you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He had her by the short and curlies, and he knew it. “Fine.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wonderful! We’ll be attending dinner at the Potter’s place, night after tomorrow.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“There you two go again! It’s like you’re reading each other’s minds!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t hear anything about a dinner,” Harry cut in before another round of shouting could begin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No? It’s been on the books for weeks now. Only, I won’t be able to make it, got a prior engagement, you see.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But you just told us today!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, nothing I can do, though. Six-thirty sharp, dress casual. Now,” he said, clapping his hands together, “Get the hell out of my mansion. There’s a hot tub upstairs that’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>quite</span>
  </em>
  <span> overflowing with models. Toodles!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He left before Tonks decided whether or not it was worth spending a few months in Azkaban for using a Castration Hex. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Don’t look so excited.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why not? We’re on an actual </span>
  <em>
    <span>case!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tonks stared at him, her hair cycling through a variety of colours and styles. “Rookie, we’re investigating a </span>
  <em>
    <span>possible</span>
  </em>
  <span> use of magic in muggle spaces in service of </span>
  <em>
    <span>minor</span>
  </em>
  <span> thefts from a clothing store. We might as well be back on shoplifting duty, for Merlin’s sake!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Using magic in muggle spaces is against the law for a reason. Given the limited reward of the criminal activity, it suggests that the perpetrators are inexperienced, and therefore more likely to slip up and possibly create a violation of the Statute of Secrecy. So while it appears to be a minor-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He trailed off as she pretended to snore. “Come </span>
  <em>
    <span>on</span>
  </em>
  <span>! Why don’t you ever complain?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s there to complain about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A strangled noise of frustration welled up in her throat. “About this, all of this! The trash assignments, coming in early and leaving late; Merlin, kid, just about the only good thing that’s happened to you since you started here was getting me as a partner!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can we go? I want to get there and see if we can’t pick up the thieves’ trail.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine, the departure zone should be empty by now.” They passed through the nearly deserted DMLE, practically empty since the other aurors had already left on their assignments - their much more important, vital, life-or-death assignments; it just made her so </span>
  <em>
    <span>mad!</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No sooner had they set foot in the departure zone that she grabbed hold of her partner and spun in a half-circle. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey! I said not to do that!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Settle down, rookie, I’m the boss. Now let’s get this over with,” she said crossly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s your problem?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“YOU! You’re my problem! I loved my job until you came along!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked around the maintenance corridor of Hay’s Galleria, the London shop district they’d arrived in, waving his wand to cast a muggle-repelling charm. “How did </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>change things?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your dad’s so worried about his bouncing baby boy that this is the first time we’ve gotten to go into the field since you started, and it’s to stop people from lifting muggle clothes at </span>
  <em>
    <span>a shopping centre!</span>
  </em>
  <span> I used to make a difference until I got saddled with-” She bit off her rant, taking a deep breath. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>That was a mistake’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought, using her powers to hide the flush of shame that tried to break out over her face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For only the second time since they’d started working together, Harry’s emerald eyes darkened with anger, the tell-tale signs present in the way his jaw clenched and the muscles in his neck flexed. She readied herself for him to lash out, to tear her a new one, to finally let loose with all of the annoyance and irritation that he’d surely been holding in for weeks, but unlike at Sirius’ mansion with Luna, he simply raised his wand, transfiguring both of their robes into muggle business attire. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come on.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She mutely followed him, trying to think of how to take back the frustration she’d vented onto him, quietly standing to the side while Harry - in the guise of a company investigator - interrogated various shop employees and managers. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Why did I say that?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She didn’t honestly believe it was Harry’s fault. She knew that their duty assignments had more to do with the brass reprimanding her than with his relationship with his father. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The truth was, Tonks was scared, scared of being rejected yet again by a partner, scared of losing her dream job, scared of not living up to the expectations of legends like Amelia Bones and Alastor Moody, who’d put their faith in her. The thing was, Amelia had been right that aurors don’t work alone; that had been Tonks’ problem since her first day at the DMLE. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-are you listening to me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” she said instinctively, though she’d been entirely lost in her own thoughts. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, what do you think?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Shite’</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Um, run it by me one more time?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Again, he was so damnably unflappable, patiently going over his plan to stake out the shops at the Galleria for the rest of the afternoon, on the assumption that the inexperienced and amateurish nature of the thefts would offer their targets a sense of overconfidence, ensuring they'd be back for more. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She agreed with his plan and they split up, patrolling different stores and keeping an eye out for any use of magic. Tonks tried to refocus away from her humiliating outburst earlier, willing herself to be attentive and watchful among the sea of muggles milling about. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was always fun, pushing her various partners’ buttons. Of course, all of her other partners by this point had been middle-aged career law enforcement; it made her feel rebellious and edgy to poke fun at them. Harry, though, was seven years younger than her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>She</span>
  </em>
  <span> was the authority, the veteran, and he was the young… well, ‘upstart’ certainly wasn’t a good descriptor for him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She found herself idly wondering what he was like when he was younger. Given that he’d mentioned learning that spell from a Gryffindor that was likely his House, but Harry certainly would have fit well in Slytherin, what with his inscrutable countenance. She stopped suddenly, drawing cross looks from the family of muggles that had been walking closely behind her. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Did he actually hate her? Would she even be able to tell if he did?’</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There. A teenage girl attempting and failing to look surreptitious while withdrawing a wand from inside her shirt, tapping a brassiere and shrinking it down to microscopic size. She was reaching for a matching set of knickers when Tonks’ hand came heavily down on her shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s all this, then? Doing a little lingerie shopping?” She spun the girl around, giving her a once-over. “I sincerely hope, for your sake, that was a push-up bra.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who are you? I didn’t do anything, you crazy bitch!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tonks ignored her outrage, whipping her own wand out, throwing up a strong Notice-Me-Not before reversing the transfiguration on her clothing and tapping her badge with her wand. “Rookie, I’ve got our perp, come take a look.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re a </span>
  <em>
    <span>witch?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” the girl asked, the pitch of her voice approaching a ‘squeak’. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s right. What, did you think you could get away with this forever? Really, five days in a row?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that her?” an out-of-breath Harry asked before raising his eyebrows in recognition. “Vane?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know her?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course. She was a Gryffindor, two years below me. You’re sure it was her?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got eyes, rookie, saw her shrinking the top half of these myself,” Tonks dangled the lacy knickers with one finger, unable to suppress the corners of her lips from rising at the blush that broke out over his face. “Seriously? Lingerie department too much for you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Romilda giggled, and Tonks scowled at the girl’s interruption. “Shut up, pipsqueak. I should haul you in, if for no other than reason than being so incompetent that you forced me and my partner here to waste our entire day tracking you down,” she said, grasping the girl’s cheeks and forcing her to meet her eyes. “You’re sure she’s seventeen, rook?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yea- wait, what do you mean ‘should’ haul her in? She’s a thief!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, I know, but be realistic. The brassiere is barely worth a Galleon-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not even!” Romilda interjected, “It’s on sale!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See? It’s not even worth bringing her in. This kind of thing happens more than you’d think, newbie; costs the Ministry more to process her than the theft was worth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She broke the law. We’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>aurors</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I get it, but this is how things are done. We’ll take her home, have a nice long chat with her parents-” Romilda’s eyes went wide at that, “-and if we catch her again, </span>
  <em>
    <span>then</span>
  </em>
  <span> we can throw the book at her. But the Statute is unbroken, no one was hurt, and let’s be honest, a criminal mastermind she is not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. We’re taking her in.” Well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> was new. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you forgetting who’s in charge here, rookie?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was my idea to stake the shops out, I was the one who questioned the victims, it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> call!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Victims?” He produced a set of handcuffs and moved to place them on Romilda. Before he could, Tonks reached out, placing a hand flat against his chest. “You’re absolutely sure you want to do this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Move, Auror Tonks.” ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, he’s definitely mad now’</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Romilda Vane, you’re under arrest for petty theft.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the </span>
  <em>
    <span>hell</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Harry!” Tonks chuckled as the girl’s protests evolved into a full-fledged tantrum. Thank Merlin she’d overpowered her Notice-Me-Not. Moving to follow her partner and their collar, she paused, looking closer at the knickers she still held before regretfully replacing them on the shelf. “Hmph. ‘Least the girl’s got good taste.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tonks hurried to catch up, and together they walked back to the maintenance corridor they’d arrived in. “Listen, newbie-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m taking her in, you can’t talk me out of it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s not that,” she said, lengthening her legs to keep up with his rapid pace. “It’s about what I said before, when we arrived. I was out of line.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Things haven’t been going great at work, lately, and- and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I’m glad you got assigned to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry didn’t respond, holding firmly to Romilda and apparating away. She quickly spun in place and followed, once again forced to hustle to walk alongside them. “Rookie? I said I was glad I’m your partner.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not.” And with that, he dragged their suspect off to booking. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tonks wandered back to her desk, taking a seat and pulling out a blank form to document their shift. Lifting her hand to move a lock of hair out from eyes, she paused, looking at its limp brown form. Closing her eyes in concentration, her hair shifted into blonde pigtails. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Much better’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought in satisfaction. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach, the fear that she might have driven away her last chance at a future as an auror. She craned her neck over the cubicle wall, trying to spot his messy black hair. Instead, she caught sight of the Head Auror conferring with an irate Scrimgeour, and then the two of them stalking towards the holding cells. Tonks, having been on the receiving end of that duo many times, had a feeling she knew what was coming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It turns out her feelings were right on the mark, and that she’d arrived at the start of the opening salvo. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-to explain why a gods-damned teenager is in my holding cell for not paying for some muggle scrap of cloth!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She was apprehended while engaged in criminal conduct.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The elder Potter’s tone was only a few decibels below Scrimgeour’s. “Do you have any idea how much it costs the DMLE to hold a suspect until trial? A hell of a lot more than the cost of whatever constituted the petty theft you caught her doing! Why in Merlin’s name didn’t you simply read her the riot act and take her home to her mummy and daddy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-, uh-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You realize that the entire point of catching her has been negated by your incompetence? Instead of being able to turn her over to be punished by her parents, now </span>
  <em>
    <span>they're</span>
  </em>
  <span> angry at </span>
  <em>
    <span>us!</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir, Potter was just following my orders.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Scrimgeour and Head Auror Potter rounded on her, while Harry wore a surprised expression at her intervention. “And what possessed you to do such a thing, Junior Auror Tonks?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, Rufus, you absolute arse. Never even a moment of doubt that I’d do something stupid!’</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Er, well, the thing is-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re waiting! What, in your pea-sized brain, brought about the decision to do something so </span>
  <em>
    <span>stupid</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry, the idiot, was opening his mouth, no doubt to do the noble thing and take responsibility, so she had to think quickly. “It’s just… I wanted to keep my arrest record. I know that Shack’s been nipping at my heels, and with my recent assignments, I just jumped at the opportunity to make a collar.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James shook his head, running one hand through the hair that was almost identical to his son’s. “I guess that our little talk yesterday was premature. You know better than this, Tonks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir. It won’t happen again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now Rufus and I get to spend the next half hour explaining to the Vane’s why we threw their daughter in a cell. Go home, and take tomorrow to think about the example you’re setting for your partner.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A tight nod was her only reply, and she walked back to her desk to grab her robes and the unfinished forms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Boss?” He’d followed her back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to call me that anymore. And even though your dad’s not allowed to make the call for you, if you go to Amelia, she’ll reassign you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I- I’m not going to apologize to you. This-” he gestured between them, “-is getting kind of stale.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She pursed her lips, her hair falling limply over her eyes again when she nodded her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But I’m not going to ask for a new partner. You were Mad-Eye Moody’s last protegé, you’ve had the highest arrest rate in the Department for two years running, and…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her suddenly pink curls bounced as she took a step closer. “And?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And your Patronus </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> pretty impressive.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mm-hm,” she purred, “You know what? In honour of your first collar, and because you’ve been such a good newbie, I’ve decided you should get a reward.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh? Another DMLE tradition?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, this one’s just for you,” she replied, grinning up at him. “I think since I have that one-day suspension tomorrow anyway, I might as well go back to the scene of the crime. What do you say I pick up those knickers that Vane was looking to nick, and I model them for you after your shift? A little treat, just. For. You.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Judging by how fast he turned red, she probably could have fried an egg on his face. “I’ll see you tomorrow, kid. Don’t go dreaming about me tonight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Er, tomorrow?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dinner with your folks, remember?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, right,” he replied, still a little flustered, though she couldn’t pinpoint whether that was from her teasing or imagining her in that lacy lingerie. “I, uh, I’ll see you then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With an airy laugh, Tonks waved over her shoulder and walked out to the lifts. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>All in all, not the worst day’ </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>LINE BREAK</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For someone who had a fairly limited social life these days, Tonks never felt like she had much in the way of free time. So she decided to make the most of her suspension and spend the day doing things she’d been putting off for far too long, like cleaning the shower, or visiting her parents. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then she remembered that she hated cleaning and that her mother was </span>
  <em>
    <span>way</span>
  </em>
  <span> too controlling, so instead she decided to treat herself by doing something really </span>
  <em>
    <span>fun</span>
  </em>
  <span> before needing to get ready for dinner at the Potters. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were several screams and a cry of terror when she blew the front doors off of Sirius’ mansion. Tonks shrugged off scaring the models in such a way; ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s not like they were wearing any pants to wet, after all’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought with a cackle, her wand raised and demanding her cousin’s presence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Through all of her theatrics, though, a familiar figure sat calmly observing the ruckus. Luna something, she recalled, looking curiously at the short, petite blonde, who stared right back with a dreamy smile on her face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That certainly was quite an entrance.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yea, well kicking down doors is kind of my job.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nodding thoughtfully, the girl picked up her quill and went back to whatever she was doing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s the deal with you and Potter?” She hadn’t meant to ask it but it </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> a little strange how defensive he had been over her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m childhood friends with Ginevra,” when Tonks didn’t react, she clarified, “His girlfriend.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. I had kind of assumed you and he went out, based on how he was acting around you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope! Just good friends.” Tonks might be lighthearted, she might be clumsy, but she was a damn good auror. And Luna </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely</span>
  </em>
  <span> wasn’t telling the whole truth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see.” Before she could ask anything more, though, Sirius came running down the stairs, once more in a bathrobe. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Noooo, those doors were Massaranduba! Do you have any idea how much it’s going to cost to replace them?” He picked up one of the larger pieces, still smoking from her Blasting Hex. “Can’t you just send a howler like normal people?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is Massar-, Massa-... whatever?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Brazilian redwood. It costs a fortune to import! What do you want, anyway? Shouldn’t you be at work?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You said someone called in a favour, to get </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>to call in a favour. Who was it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His suddenly cagey expression brought a vicious smile to her face. “Er, no one. Totally unrelated.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A little late to try and lie about it at this point. C’mere, lil’ doggy, time to get you fixed!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine! But listen, it has to stay between us. You can’t imagine what she’d do to me if she knew I told you!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to imagine what </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’ll</span>
  </em>
  <span> do to you if you don’t tell me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was Lily. She wants to meet you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lady Potter?!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just… just go to dinner and be your usual charming self. Maybe try the doorbell when you arrive, though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I’ll be charming all right,” Tonks said, spinning on her heel and marching back towards the destroyed entrance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Nymphadora? Where are you going?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To see Lily Potter and find out what this is all about. And don’t call me that!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius moaned, looking down at the splinters he’d spent way too much gold on, then at the furious stride of his cousin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Say girls, what do you say we go buy the wood to replace these doors in person?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tonks reached the ward boundaries and apparated to the Ministry’s public entrance, waiting in line to pass through the checkpoint, then riding the lifts to the second level. She morphed, changing her appearance into a rather nondescript, pudgy woman with forgettable features and headed right for the Hitwizard HQ, a small office several doors down from the auror’s ready room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pssst! Hestia!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her friend set down her magazine - ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Honestly, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Witch Weekly</span>
  <em>
    <span>, Hestia, really?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> and looked at her in confusion. Tonks allowed her hair to shift into a rainbow for a brief second before returning to her disguise, and her friend’s eyes widened in recognition.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Murphy, I’m gonna go grab a cuppa in the cantina!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever,” a man replied, lost in a rune puzzle in his own paper. </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Quibbler</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Hitwizards really had too much time on their hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> “What’s up? I looked for you this morning before my shift but only saw your partner, looking like someone had just stolen his broom.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll tell you later. Listen, do you know the apparition coordinates for the Potter’s home?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hestia had this certain look that she seemed to reserve just for Tonks, that always made her feel like she’d been Confunded. “Why do you want to know where Harry lives? What are you going to do?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tonight we’re having dinner-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. My. GODS!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-With his parents! Can you calm down?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sweet Circe, Tonks was going to strangle her if Hestia didn’t lose that gobsmacked look. “The coordinates?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure we’ve got them on file somewhere. Give me ten minutes, and I’ll be back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Hestia, I owe you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her friend paused, half out of her seat. “Enough to bring me as a guest tonight?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took real effort to maintain her morph through her annoyance. “No, but I’ll name my firstborn daughter after you. How’s that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pretty sure Harry would want to name her after- </span>
  <em>
    <span>ow, </span>
  </em>
  <span>you slag, that hurt!” Hestia rubbed her arm where Tonks’ Stinging Hex had landed but didn’t delay further, heading back to the Hitwizard’s office. To her credit, it only took seven minutes to find the information, and then Tonks was on her way back to the Ministry’s entrance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Potters had a nice home. Nothing too ostentatious like the Grotto, but definitely several rungs up the ladder from her own relatively middle-class upbringing. She politely sent an announcing charm at the wards, trying to school her features while she waited. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To her surprise, it wasn’t a house elf that responded, but the lady of the manor herself. Tonks had seen her in the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Prophet</span>
  </em>
  <span> a few times, and it wasn’t like there was anyone in Magical Britain that hadn’t heard of the first muggleborn woman to occupy a seat in the Wizengamot. Still, the woman who appeared at the gates wasn’t quite what she was expecting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Auburn hair tied up in a loose ponytail, wearing loose-fitting pyjama pants and an oversized t-shirt, Lily Potter did not seem to fit the mould of what her public persona would indicate. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>I know that the ‘Mot’s on summer recess, but it’s mid-afternoon!’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Lady Potter gave her the once-over, and Tonks suddenly realized she didn’t have much room to judge, given the torn and frayed black jeans and faded Hotknives tee that she’d thrown on that morning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two women stared at each other for a moment, then Lily spoke, her voice replete with all of the dignity of her position. “What do you want?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Those words were enough to remind Tonks where she was and who she was talking to. Did she </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> need to rush over here for a confrontation? Damn her temper! She could feel, based on the brush of her hair against the nape of her neck, that her powers must have reflected her turmoil, as Lily’s eyes widened and a slow, devious smile spread across her face. “Little Nymphadora! I wasn’t expecting you until much later!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Great. She was too nervous to even muster up a rebuke for the use of her name. “Hello, Lady Potter.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>must</span>
  </em>
  <span> call me Lily. Now,” she waved her wand, and the gates slid open, creating a gap in the wards for Tonks as they did, “do come inside, it’s just about tea-time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She followed Lily up the path to the house, listening quietly as her host pointed out various Potter family landmarks that dotted the property. They stepped inside, and a few portraits waved and greeted the pair as they made their way to the kitchen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let me just start the kettle, then we can talk.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um, right,” Tonks muttered, noting how quiet the house was. “Do you not have any house-elves?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We had one but James felt that having servants would hinder his efforts to instil the sort of discipline that Harry would need to be an auror. So we sent Wimsy to mind our cottage in Godric’s Hollow when Harry was six.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pretty big place to clean all on your own.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good thing I have Harry and James to help, isn’t it?” Lily said with a gentle smile. “Milk? Sugar?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes to both, please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, since it is afternoon, I assume you came to see me. What’s on your mind?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>What indeed?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> No point in mincing words. “Why did you talk Sirius into blackmailing me to come over?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lily’s face twitched, as though a feather had dusted her nose, before returning to that easy smile. “Blackmail? Good heavens, dear, I had no idea that cad would sink to such a level. I merely asked him to extend the invitation.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re my only son’s partner. Why </span>
  <em>
    <span>wouldn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> I want to get to know the woman I’m trusting with his life?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tonks didn’t buy that for a second. “Well, I’ve had a lot of partners, and none of them ever invited me over for dinner.” ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Or anywhere else, now that I think about it’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like their loss, in my opinion,” Lily said, her eyes sparkling as she took a sip of tea. Harry’s eyes were the same colour as his mother’s, but had a certain depth that Lily’s didn’t share that made them so much more… so much more- Tonks shook that thought out of her head, literally and figuratively.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you quite alright, Nymphadora?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Thank the gods she wasn’t reading my mind’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tonks thought to herself. “I’m fine. Say, if dinner is about getting to know me better…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then maybe tea can be about me learning a bit more about </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> new partner?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why, it’s like you were </span>
  <em>
    <span>reading my mind</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Lily said with an innocent expression, despite the unusual emphasis in her words. “I think that’s a lovely idea.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So Harry-” Tonks paused, realizing how foreign his name sounded on her lips. She could count on one hand the number of times she’d not addressed him as ‘rookie’ or ‘newbie’, after all. “Harry, uh, was a Gryffindor?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s right. What about you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hufflepuff. Did he play quidditch?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A chaser, just like his father, for six years.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Making the team as a Second Year? That didn’t happen that often. “I met a friend of his. Luna-something; bit of an odd bird.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Luna Lovegood, yes, she’s a dear. Harry was- well, perhaps I shouldn’t speak too much of the past.” Despite her words, Lily’s face was open as it had been since they’d sat down, and she cocked one perfectly sculpted eyebrow at her guest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tonks took the bait. “You </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> say it was a good idea for me to learn more about him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” she drawled, “I did, didn’t I? Well, since you asked, Harry was rather taken with Miss Lovegood when he was in school. Even asked her to the Yule Ball they held in ‘94.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Knew it!’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tonks crowed internally. “So they dated?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lily shook her head. “No. She turned him down.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m surprised. She seemed to be, uh, fond of him when we met.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, well,” her face, for the first time, turned decidedly unfriendly, “Luna was a bit isolated at Hogwarts, and her best friend had decided </span>
  <em>
    <span>she’d</span>
  </em>
  <span> make a better date for Harry. So Luna talked him into asking her friend, instead, since Third Years needed a date in order to attend the ball.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a Hufflepuff thing to do,” Tonks remarked, trying for a neutral response. Seemed like a good idea to redirect the conversation </span>
  <em>
    <span>away</span>
  </em>
  <span> from this subject… “I heard Harry was top of his class at the Acad-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And apparently that was all it took. He never took another girl out for the rest of his time at Hogwarts, and he’s still dating her to this day.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you believe-, no, I shouldn’t. Mustn’t be rude, after all.” That mischievous glint was back in Lily’s eye.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was apparently all the encouragement that she needed, leaning towards Tonks and speaking conspiratorially. “Since Harry was still in training when Hogwarts had their graduation, he asked us to go in his stead and deliver his present to his girlfriend. She had the nerve to expect a marriage contract!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really? In this day and age?” Contracts had been rather outdated even for her mother’s generation, the Blacks of course being one of the last holdouts to the worst of pureblood traditions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, how do you like having Harry as a partner?” The sudden change in topic left her head spinning.  ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>How in Merlin’s name did Harry end up so calm and collected with a mother like this?’</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s been okay. Our styles are a bit different, so it’s taken some time to settle in and get comfortable.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I admit I’d wondered how good of a fit it would be, when Harry started going in early and staying late. But then James told me how you really stepped up to the plate and have provided him an example of the proper way of doing things. I’m grateful that Harry ended up with such a considerate partner, someone really willing to invest the time in making sure he learns how to get ahead.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tonks felt some of that guilt from yesterday seep into her. “Well, actually…” she trailed off, hair shifting into a bright red pixie cut. “Harry’s been working extra hours to make sure that our reports were up to proper standards. Quills and parchment aren’t really my preferred tools of the trade, so to speak.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hesitantly looked up, expecting to see disappointment, or maybe even anger on Lily’s face. Instead, that enigmatic smile from before was back in place. “I see.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The clock chimed four times, thankfully interrupting their conversation. “I should really head home, you know, get ready to come back for dinner and all.” Tonks stood up, then blanched. “Um, about what I just told you - you won’t mention that to your husband, will you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her green eyes sparkled with mischief. “Of course not. Let’s just say you owe me a favour.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, Merlin. Sirius was right about her!’</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Sounds good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should stop by again, Nymphadora, it really was lovely chatting with you. It does get lonely in the daytime, with both my son and husband at the Ministry now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That sounds nice but I tend to keep to the same schedule as they do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just something to keep in mind. See you at six-thirty!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tonks left the manor, suddenly feeling a great deal of trepidation at returning for dinner. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hello, mother,” Harry greeted leaning down to peck her cheek. “You look lovely.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, honey. You two are late,” she noted, giving James a dangerous look. “We’re having Nymphadora over in less than a half-hour and you just got home.”</p>
<p>“Hey, don’t give me that look! Blame your son, he was dragging his feet all day.”</p>
<p>“Oh?” Lily’s haste vanished immediately, and she pulled Harry down into the seat next to her. “What was the problem?”</p>
<p>He shrugged. “Just felt out of sorts. Like having my first day all over again.”</p>
<p>“You missed Nymphadora? That’s sweet!” </p>
<p>“Uh, Mum, you probably shouldn’t call her that when she arrives. Tonks is a little sensitive about her first name.”</p>
<p>“Nonsense! She’s a lovely girl with a beautiful name. I used it several times today and she didn’t so much as bat an eye.”</p>
<p>James and Harry both froze. “Tonks was over today?”</p>
<p>Lily nodded, standing up from the kitchen table and wandering over to the oven to check the beef wellington. “Yes, we had tea together. I like her!” She closed the oven door. “Go shower and get changed. Wear your grey suit, Harry.”</p>
<p>His father nodded and made his way up the stairs but Harry lingered. “Suit? Sirius said to dress casual.”</p>
<p>“Yes, ‘dress casual’, not dress casually. You’d better hurry, she’s arriving in less than ten minutes.”</p>
<p>He ran to his room, taking the steps two at a time. ‘Where was that suit, anyway?’ Harry didn’t bother questioning his mother; his father had taught him at an early age that life was much easier if you didn’t fight losing battles. In this house, that tended to translate to ‘what Lady Potter wants, Lady Potter gets’.</p>
<p>Finally finding the suit in the back of his closet, he pulled out a green pinstripe tie and set it on the bed. A moment later, he cursed himself, yanking the suit up, opening his door, and hanging it up so it wouldn’t wrinkle. That task accomplished, he ran into the bathroom and started the shower. </p>
<p>As the water ran over him, he mulled over his day. His father had been right, he was a bit out of sorts today. Work had been weird; some hitwizard kept following him around and shooting him pitying looks, Madam Bones had asked him if there was anything he needed to talk to her about, and his father had spent an hour drilling him on counter-curses - by firing curses at him. A strange day, but not strange in the usual sense he’d come to expect. No, it was-, well, it was kind of… Kind of like work. He hadn't realized how much fun he'd had up to that point.</p>
<p>He turned off the water, grabbing a towel and hurrying out to get dressed, snatching his glasses off his nightstand as he did.</p>
<p>“Hey rookie.” </p>
<p>Harry let out a girlish scream, clutching at his towel and jumping a half-foot into the air. “Tonks?!”</p>
<p>Leaning against his door frame, she plucked a piece of lint from the suit hanging off his door, a few bangs hanging from the messy bun her blonde hair was wrapped in. “Nice outfit.”</p>
<p>“I’m in a towel!”</p>
<p>“I meant the suit,” she remarked calmly, though her eyes briefly left the suit and ran up and down his body before she pretended to examine his clothes again. “Sorry, Lily asked me to come upstairs, and your door was open…”</p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Harry said, slowly calming down after her surprise appearance. While he was a little embarrassed, he’d spent years in quidditch locker rooms, not to mention the Academy had communal showers as well. “Why did Mum tell you to come up here?”</p>
<p>“I- uh, felt a little underdressed,” she said, gesturing at her leather skirt and dark blue blouse. “But she said that since dinner’s almost ready, she’d just let me borrow something to not feel so much like a yob amongst you posh types.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” he replied, considering that in a few moments she’d be changing, his thoughts returning to her facetious offer to model for him. A flash of arousal swept through him, imagining her in nothing but a tiny pair of frilly knickers, and he couldn’t resist the guilty temptation of allowing his eyes to trace a languid path up her body, from her open-toe sandals all the way up to her face, suddenly framed by flowing pink curls.</p>
<p>Tonks stood silently, choosing not to comment on the way his eyes roved over her. He honestly didn’t know what to make of that; she’d never resisted any opportunity to tease him or make him uncomfortable. </p>
<p>“Nymphadora, I have just the dress-” his mother crested the stairs, interrupting the unexpectedly charged moment, offering Harry the opportunity to grab his suit and walk back to the bathroom to get dressed. “Am I interrupting something?” he heard her ask, although Tonks’ reply was inaudible.</p>
<p>Leaning his back against the door, he waited for his excitement to diminish. He’d become quite used to these sorts of hormonal outbursts, as - even after both he and his girlfriend had come of age - he remained very much a virgin. Ginny was raised to be rather old-fashioned, and while she was fiery, passionate, and snogged the daylights out of him whenever they were alone, she was adamant that they wouldn’t be progressing physically until at the very least a betrothal contract had been signed.</p>
<p>Harry liked Ginny, he really did, but he wasn’t sure if he loved her, much less was in love with her. When he’d been at Hogwarts, things were great; Ginny was popular, fit, and a hell of a quidditch player. They’d had so much fun together in school, with his girlfriend always there to help him unwind from his studies yet understanding his dedication. They had their arguments but Luna was usually around and able to get them to communicate, rather than argue. </p>
<p>Once he’d left for the Academy, though, things had progressively gone downhill. It was only natural that, when most of his recent encounters with Ginny hadn’t been all that pleasant, Harry would imagine an increased attraction to other women. ‘It didn’t mean anything’ he told himself. Well, nothing except that he really needed to exert greater control over his wandering eyes. </p>
<p>He jumped once more when a light knock tapped against his bathroom door. “Harry, dear, I just wanted to tell you not to go into my room.”</p>
<p>Harry made a face. It’s not as though he ever went to his parents’ room. “Uh, sure. Why would I?”</p>
<p>“It just seemed polite to warn you,” his mother said in a light tone, as though the entire conversation were incidental. “Nymphadora is undressing in there and I’d hate for you to embarrass our guest.”</p>
<p>Harry quietly groaned. It was going to be a long night.</p>
<p>LINE BREAK</p>
<p>Surprisingly, his predictions had been wrong. The dinner was, for the most part, perfectly pleasant beyond a few embarrassing moments. </p>
<p>While they waited for the two ladies to return, he’d been chatting with his father about the next day’s duty roster. Harry had gotten hints that there’d be a bigger case on the horizon for him, and James had been adamant that he show up prepared and ready to ‘step onto the pitch’, so to speak. </p>
<p>He was halfway through a follow-up question to his father, ready to interrogate the Head Auror himself for more details when Lily walked in, giving James a quick kiss and settling into her seat. Offering a token glance toward the formal dining room’s entrance for Tonks, Harry fully intended to continue pressing the subject of this new assignment when the words died in his throat.</p>
<p>Tonks was- she looked- ‘Wow’. Still in her sandals, the rest of her outfit was nowhere to be found, instead clad in a white dress. It had a slim silhouette, not tight but just form-fitting enough that it left no doubt of the figure beneath it; cap-sleeved, with a neckline far from daring but still hinting at cleavage. Her hair was a rich chestnut brown, done half-up, half-down, and held in place with what was surely a conjured, long stem daisy. </p>
<p>“Wh-” he had to clear his throat. “Where did you get that dress?”</p>
<p>“It was one of my old ones I had buried in the closet. I doubt I’d even fit into any longer. To tell you the truth, the hardest part was picking out just one; I hope it doesn’t embarrass you, dear, but with your powers, you really are the envy of every woman. She can fit any outfit to perfection,” Lily said, sighing in exaggerated envy before looking across the table at her son in annoyance when Tonks took her seat next to him. ”Nymphadora, you’ll have to excuse Harry. He’s normally a gentleman.”</p>
<p>“Er, that’s alright Lily, it’d be a little weird for him to get my chair. This is just a casual dinner, after all.”</p>
<p>He knew, rationally, that he had been staring too long. Merlin, and in front of his parents; in front of her boss! Harry felt a swell of sympathy for Tonks; she was surely uncomfortable but despite the demands of his brain, his eyes refused to obey. The daisy fell to the floor as her hair shifted into those same pink curls, falling out of the ‘up’ style she’d had when she entered. Tonks leaned down to pick it up off the floor, smacking the back of her head into the bottom of the table as she did. </p>
<p>“Ow! Dammit! Uh, I mean- sorry.”</p>
<p>And just like that, the spell was broken. This was Tonks, Junior Auror don’t-call-me-Nymphadora Tonks, his klutzy boss. Of course, she looked fantastic; as his mother noted, she could fill out a burlap sack in ways that would be alluring. Harry shook his head, pouring her and himself a glass of water from the pitcher on the table, and settled in for a delicious meal, one made all the better since he didn’t have to cook it.</p>
<p>James started off the conversation - fitting since it was probably just as awkward for him as it was for Tonks to be having this dinner, given their work relationships. “So how is your mother? I haven’t seen her since Sirius’ house-warming party when the Grotto was finished.”</p>
<p>“She’s well, sir- I mean-”</p>
<p>Lily reached out and took James’ hand in her own. “Let’s agree that for tonight, there’s no need for titles. We’ll be Lily and James, and you’ll be Nymphadora, how does that sound?”</p>
<p>Harry looked to his father, expecting some pushback given his adherence to proper guidelines on fraternization, but James merely shrugged and went back to cutting his meat. “And your father, ah, forgive me, I don’t recall his name.”</p>
<p>“Theodore, but he goes by Ted, sir,” Tonks’ lips quirked upwards beneath Lily’s glare. “I mean, James.”</p>
<p>“Thanks to Sirius, I know about your mother’s background, but where did your father grow up?”</p>
<p>“In Birmingham but my parents moved to Devon, just outside Exeter, shortly after I was born.” Harry watched her curls elongate, shifting into a more sedate brown. Why was he so hyper-conscious of her? ‘Keep it in your pants, you tosser!’ he yelled at himself mentally.</p>
<p>“Birmingham is lovely! Do you go back often? To see family, I mean.”</p>
<p>Her fingers tightened around her cutlery, then proceeded to aimlessly push her food around her plate. “Ah, no, I’ve never been.”</p>
<p>“When did you decide you wanted to be an auror?” His father, a skilled interrogator, had no doubt picked up on the same nonverbal signals that Harry had, and intervened to change the subject.</p>
<p>Tonks’ hair shifted to dirty blonde, lightening from its previously dour colouration. “Fifth Year, career counselling. Professor Sprout described an auror’s duties, and it just seemed to be the absolute best combination of brains, brawns, and spellcasting. By the time I finished my first week at the Academy, I knew this was what I was meant to do.”</p>
<p>“That’s lovely,” Lily said, wearing a large smile. “And it’s been, what, five years?”</p>
<p>“Seven, actually.”</p>
<p>“Impressive. I’m sure you know better than I do that there’s a high wash-out rate among aurors. It’s not a job just anyone can do.”</p>
<p>Harry glanced over at his father, the memory of his parents’ conversation from a few weeks ago suddenly surfacing. “Tonks is one of the best. I looked her up the day after I was assigned to her.”</p>
<p>“I meant it as a compliment, honey. Seven years is a long time,” Lily replied, her eyes meeting Harry’s even as she turned her face back towards his partner. “So you’re, what, twenty-six? Do you think you’ll get married?”</p>
<p>A spray of water shot out, and Harry gently clapped Tonks on the back as she sputtered, having been caught mid-drink. “Married?” she repeated, her voice an octave higher than normal. “I don’t even have a boyfriend!”</p>
<p>“Now that just can’t be!” His mother gasped, though Harry had been on the receiving end of that tone enough to recognize mischief at work. “You’re absolutely gorgeous, obviously intelligent. Any woman that looks like you do would need to be quick with a wand to beat back potential suitors.”</p>
<p>“Lily…” James cautioned, but his mother paid him no heed.</p>
<p>“Not that you need any advice, but take it from me, it can creep up on you when you least suspect it. Why, I must have rejected James at least two dozen times before he finally won me over.”</p>
<p>“Actually, it was an even thirty,” he said with a grin.</p>
<p>“I’m pretty set just focusing on my career, I think,” Tonks said, glancing between the two elder Potters. “Relationships come second; married to my job, and all that.”</p>
<p>“Well, the DMLE’s a big place. Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet someone there that understands and appreciates your drive.”</p>
<p>“Mother!” “Lily!” the two Potter men practically shouted. </p>
<p>“Oh, really, am I not allowed to tease? Nymphadora, you must come by more when these two aren’t around. Harry I can make allowances for; he is his father’s son after all. James though, used to be fun,” she grumbled, mock-glaring at her husband. “So, are you still living in Devon?”</p>
<p>The conversation veered back towards normality from there, and eventually wound down as the meal was finished. </p>
<p>“Thank you for joining us for dinner; it was wonderful getting to know you better.”</p>
<p>“I appreciate the invite. I’ll wash the dress and have Harry return it to you.”</p>
<p>Lily waved away her offer. “I told you, I doubt it even fits me any longer. No point in throwing it back into the wardrobe. You keep it.”</p>
<p>“I- I can’t accept that, it’s too-”</p>
<p>“Now, I meant it when I said feel free to stop by again. I’d rather not have to recruit your cousin again just to catch up, understand?”</p>
<p>Tonks offered a genuine smile. “Got it. I’ll see you tomorrow, rookie?”</p>
<p>“Be nice to have you back, boss.”</p>
<p>She spun in a circle and vanished from their entrance hall with a crack! Harry immediately turned and walked to the fireplace. </p>
<p>“Where are you going?”</p>
<p>“To see Ginny.”</p>
<p>His back turned as he reached for the Floo powder, Harry heard his mother start to say something. A moment later, his father spoke. “Don’t be out too late. Remember what I said about tomorrow.”</p>
<p>“I will. Dinner was great, Mum. ‘Night!”</p>
<p>LINE BREAK</p>
<p>James Potter was a man who appreciated an orderly routine. He’d ‘sowed his wild oats’, as the muggles say, during his Hogwarts years, to the point that he’d nearly been rejected by the Auror Academy. If it hadn’t been for the strenuous recommendations of both McGonagall and Dumbledore, who knows what he’d be doing now. </p>
<p>It was a lesson well and truly learned. He’d grown up the only child of a wealthy pureblood couple that had struggled to conceive; there had been no real need to work for what he wanted, not when his parents doted on him so. Really, until he’d met Lily, he hardly tried at anything beyond not getting caught for his many questionable activities. </p>
<p>She’d seemed so straight-laced back then, he mused silently. Little did he know, Lily wasn’t at all humourless, she simply wasn’t mean-spirited the way that he and his friends were. Thankfully, she was also as patient as she was forgiving, or she might have never accepted his earnest pursuit once he’d finally started to grow up. </p>
<p>Listening to Tonks describe why she became an auror over dinner had brought a smile to his face. It was so similar to the passion and drive that he felt for the job. It was why he’d made the scandalous decision of turning over his seat in the Wizengamot to his wife, so that he could dedicate his working hours entirely to the DMLE. </p>
<p>The unexpected consequence of that decision was just how much Lily took to politicking. She’d delighted in the double-speak, the backroom dealing, the manipulations and public relations. For someone who’d been set on joining the Department of Mysteries as a Hogwarts student, it had been a surprise to see her take such joy in - arguably - one of the most visible jobs in Magical Britain. </p>
<p>Still, though, there were times when he felt she used her considerable powers for evil. Like tonight, for example. </p>
<p>“Goodnight, love,” she said, climbing into bed and giving him a gentle kiss. </p>
<p>James knew his wife; he’d known her for nearly thirty years. So it was no surprise when thirty seconds later she rolled over, propping herself up with one arm and turning her sparkling green eyes upon him. </p>
<p>“I really like Nymphadora.”</p>
<p>“Yes, I think everyone can tell.”</p>
<p>“No, I really like her for Harry.”</p>
<p>‘Uh-oh’ he thought, exerting considerable effort to maintain a neutral expression. “I admit that I had my reservations, but despite his intentions, Rufus did a good job with their assignment. They make a good team, balance each other out well.”</p>
<p>“That’s not what I meant.”</p>
<p>“It should be. I can call Harry in to recite the departmental fraternization policies if you’d like.”</p>
<p>“James-”</p>
<p>“It’s looked down upon for a reason, Lils. An auror has to be able to trust his or her partner implicitly; it’s a demanding job, and it’s an unnecessary risk to have emotionally charged relationships in a high-stress occupation.”</p>
<p>She huffed, blowing a strand of auburn hair off her face. “Harry’s interested in her, and I think she is as well.”</p>
<p>Though he could make out her expression easily enough in the moonlight, he still reached over and tapped the activation rune at the base of the lamp on his nightstand. “Let’s be honest with each other. You don’t like the Weasley girl, so you’re trying to push him onto Tonks.”</p>
<p>“She’s all wrong for him!”</p>
<p>He shrugged. “Maybe so, but it’s Harry’s choice to make.”</p>
<p>“She’s just after our money, the no-good greedy little harlot-”</p>
<p>With a sigh, James put a finger over her lips. “You know that’s not true.”</p>
<p>“The Weasley’s aren’t exactly bathing in gold, James.”</p>
<p>“No, but now that Ginevra is out of Hogwarts, they won’t struggle like they have,” he said, ticking off his fingers as he made his point. “William’s in Egypt, Charles is in Romania, Percival’s at the Ministry with Arthur, and the twins are working for Peter at Zonko’s. Harry mentioned the other day that Ronald’s in line for a spot as a conditioning coach with Chudley. They’re far from paupers.”</p>
<p>“Fine. So maybe I just don’t like her, okay? I don’t want Harry to end up married to a shrew, unhappy and trapped.”</p>
<p>“Then talk to him! But I really need you to not meddle. It’s not fair to Harry, and especially not to Tonks.”</p>
<p>“Okay, you’re right. No more dinners.”</p>
<p>He turned the light back off and reached out, pulling her close. “I love you.”</p>
<p>“Love you, too.”</p>
<p>After a peaceful slumber, James woke up moments before his wand started vibrating from the alarm he’d cast before bed - right on time. Routines were comfortable, they were useful. It was easier to focus on problems and issues that needed to be worked through when the everyday necessities could be completed on autopilot. </p>
<p>He poked his head into Harry’s room, seeing that his son had already left to start his own routine, a two-hour workout that the young man followed religiously, rain or shine. James, being a bit older and behind a desk more often than not, didn’t follow such a strict regimen, merely going out for a leisurely hour-long jog. </p>
<p>Harry had breakfast ready and waiting when he returned, but James walked past the kitchen and hopped in the shower instead. Harry knew his habits, and would make sure to place a warming charm on the food. </p>
<p>Yes, in a lot of ways, it was James’ adherence to routines that had transformed him from prankster extraordinaire into the decorated Head Auror he was today. As he walked into the ready room and saw his aurors assembled, he internally rejoiced at the predictability that his orderly and regimented way of life brought. </p>
<p>“Okay everyone, settle down. Now, the assignments today are as follows: Proud-” </p>
<p>“Pardon the interruption, Auror Potter,” Amelia said, walking up to the podium he gave his morning briefing from. “But I have a request here from the Wizengamot that you should read before you assign duties.”</p>
<p>He unrolled the parchment, detailing a request from a Wizengamot member for - due to repeated threats based on blood status - an armed protection detail, including a strenuous recommendation for someone skilled in undercover work and capable of disguising their presence in public areas. And there, at the bottom of the scroll, signed with a flourish: Lady Lily J. Potter. </p>
<p>This wasn’t part of the routine.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The door had scarcely shut before he was demanding answers.</p><p>"What was that about? Am I being reassigned? Tonks looked- she looked like you were sending her to walk through the Veil!"</p><p>His father walked over to his desk, taking a seat and removing his glasses, running a hand through the messy black hair he shared with him. "It's- it's something I'll handle. Tonks isn't in trouble, and you aren't being reassigned. Well, not permanently."</p><p>That caused a strange feeling to settle in his stomach. For all her teasing and torment, he'd felt protective of Tonks ever since he'd overheard his father's pessimistic predictions for her tenure at the DMLE. She may be unorthodox, and there had certainly been moments when Harry had wanted nothing more than to see the last of the irreverent metamorphmagus, but for all her flaws she was-</p><p>She was his partner. And he was hers.</p><p>"But I am being reassigned?"</p><p>"Temporarily, yes. It's like what I told you last night, there's a case that's come up that you have a unique connection to. You will pursue that investigation while I resolve this issue with your partner."</p><p>"I'll be working on my own? That's a direct contradiction of the regulations laid out in Section 37B of the auror guide-"</p><p>"Yes, yes, auror's don't work alone, I know," James said, interrupting Harry's recitation of the handbook. "You'll be accompanying Longbottom and Williamson in working a missing persons case."</p><p>"Really?" His worries over Tonks fell to the side, overrode by his excitement at finally working a serious case. "Thank you! I won't let you down!"</p><p>"Before you run off to get briefed on this assignment, I want to emphasize that you didn't get this because I pulled strings, or even because you've impressed anyone. You're still new and truthfully way too green for something like this."</p><p>"So, uh, then why am I getting the assignment?" He knew that his father's words were matter-of-fact, but they had still taken some of the wind out of his sails.</p><p>"Your connection that I alluded to earlier is of a personal nature," James said, and Harry's excitement slowly froze over into anxiety. "I want you to remember first and foremost that you are an auror now. Keep your cool, do your job, follow the protocols. Understood?"</p><p>"Yes, sir." Harry stood at attention and gave his father a nod, then walked out into the bullpen, seeking out Frank Longbottom and Grant Williamson.</p><p>Longbottom was one of the most decorated Senior Aurors in the department; the only reason that he wasn't in the running for Head Auror a few years back was because he made it clear he wasn't interested in the extra hours that such a promotion would bring. Longbottom had quite a full plate already, being a Lord in the Wizengamot and father to six children.</p><p>Williamson, on the other hand, was a bit younger than Tonks, bridging the generational gap between her and Harry at 23 years old. Rumour had it that he'd barely scraped through the Academy, nearly failing to meet the minimums in a number of areas. Once he'd got his badge, however, he'd proven to be a fantastic auror, having an uncanny 'gut instinct' that had led to him breaking a number of big cases. With a veteran like Frank partnering with him, he was expected to move up the ranks sooner rather than later.</p><p>"Auror Longbottom, it's a pleasure to be working with you, sir."</p><p>"Take it easy, Harry, I've known you since you were in nappies, but we're colleagues now. For the duration of our time working together on this case, I'm Frank, and this is Grant. Congratulations, by the way - I expect many impressive things from you now that you've made it to the department."</p><p>Harry couldn't help but grin. Mr Longbottom had always been a kind and supportive man. No wonder Neville was such a great guy. "Thank you, Frank."</p><p>"Now, let's get started. Did Auror Potter already brief you on the specifics?"</p><p>"No, he just said I got the nod because I had some prior involvement."</p><p>Frank nodded but it was Grant that explained. "We're investigating the disappearance of a Ministry worker, one from the Department of Care and Regulation of Magical Creatures."</p><p>"Any suspicion it's related to the duties this person was carrying out?"</p><p>"It's possible but unlikely. She was a relatively new employee, barely a year in the office. Her work had yet to take her out into the field, so we're assuming that whatever's going on is personal, not Ministry-related." Grant pulled out a slim packet containing a few pieces of parchment. "There's her file. Give it a look and then we can discuss where to begin."</p><p>Opening the dossier containing the information on their missing person, Harry felt a bloom of worry and resignation ignite inside him as he saw the name and staff photo attached to the first page, giving him his first look at the subject of their case - Hermione Granger.</p><hr/><p>"Nymphadora, how lovely to see you again! I have to say, two days in a row has already done a wonderful job of brightening my summer. It's been ever so lonely, what with James spending all his time at the office, and Harry at the Academy all last year."</p><p>"Lily, um, Lady Potter, the Head Auror instructed me to give you this," Tonks passed over a rolled scroll, sealed with the wax imprint of the DMLE.</p><p>She watched as her partner's mother broke the seal, unrolling the parchment and scanning its content with an entirely neutral expression. '<em>Remind me never to play poker with her!'</em> "Well, it seems that the DMLE is pushing back a little at my request. James has agreed to loan you out as a bodyguard only for periods where I am in public, with a prior schedule provided at least two business days in advance."</p><p>'<em>Bless that grouchy, uptight man'</em> she thought in relief, grateful to hear that she wouldn't be spending the foreseeable future lounging around the Potter's home in her pajama pants. Lily was great and all, but Tonks wanted more than anything to get back into the field. "Well, I'll just be on my way, then. I'm sure that the kid's probably bored to tears without me around to keep him on his toes. Still, nice to know we'll be seeing more of each other!"</p><p>Shaking her head in disagreement, Lily passed the parchment over to her. "Oh, there's no need to rush off so soon. James has temporarily slotted Harry with Frank and his partner on some case or another, so there's no need for you to hurry back. Unless things have changed, and unpartnered aurors are permitted more than just desk duty?"</p><p>Damn it all, she was right. What business did he have loaning Har- her <em>partner</em> out to Frank and Grant? He was hers! Who knows what sorts of trouble he might get into without her there to back him up? He'd hadn't even been on the force for a month, for Merlin's sake!</p><p>"Is something wrong, dear?" Lily asked, and Tonks jerked out of her thoughts, meeting those twinkling emerald eyes of her host. "You're not worried about Harry, are you?"</p><p>"No, he's- I know he's capable. But- it's just…"</p><p>Lily paused after she trailed off, waiting for her to continue, finally speaking up when it became apparent Tonks wasn't going to. "It's just that he belongs with you?"</p><p>"Exactly," she immediately agreed, then flushed, her hair shifting from fire-engine red to blonde, then falling in pink curls around her shoulders. "No! I mean, he's my partner. I don't like the idea of him going into the field without me. He needs someone to watch his back, keep him out of trouble."</p><p>Patting her arm sympathetically, Lily motioned for her to come inside. "Let's have some tea, dear, I'm sure that will settle your nerves."</p><p>"No, thank you, but I think I'd rather be heading out."</p><p>"You, too? I'm getting tired of sitting around here as well, and on such a lovely day as this!" Lily quickly summoned a light cardigan with her wand, giving herself a once-over and nodding in approval. "Well, what do you think, some lunch, perhaps?"</p><p>Tonks sighed. '<em>Why the hell not? Better than sitting behind a desk and filling out paperwork' </em>"It's a bit early…"</p><p>"That's true. Besides, you're hardly dressed for a day out on the town," she said, putting Tonks beneath that same once-over Lily had given herself. "I've got it! Shopping, then lunch!"</p><p>"I don't know-"</p><p>"Come on, you read my husband's orders. This is an outing, isn't it? Although you'll have to forgive me for not having time to give notice but in my defence, I wasn't aware of that stipulation until today," Lily interrupted while she dug around in a drawer, pulling out a heavy coin purse before glancing up at the younger auror. "Glad to see you're feeling better, you really do have <em>such</em> a beautiful smile. Now, let's go get ourselves some retail therapy!"</p><p>All Tonks could do was laugh. Against such a force as Lady Potter, what choice did she have?</p><hr/><p>There were no leads to be had at Hermione's desk, just a mountain of half-finished work and quiet contempt from her coworkers. The rest of the staff at the DCRMC could barely disguise their dislike, shrugging off her disappearance as either a mild tragedy or an unexpected good fortune.</p><p>Harry, despite spending seven years as Hermione's house-mate, was never all that close to her. Nonetheless, he was incensed at her coworkers' attitude, only able to maintain his professionalism through sheer determination. Frank and Grant allowed him to take the lead in questioning each one and searching her desk, only intervening if there was a followup he should have asked but didn't, or an item of interest that he passed over.</p><p>They next apparated to the alley behind Hermione's flat, a one-bedroom in muggle London to search her apartment. It was neat, orderly, and clean - both of evidence and dirt.</p><p>"What is it with this girl?" Frank said, looking around the tidy apartment. "This place is about as 'home-y' as my office."</p><p>"Hermione was always supremely focused. She'd settle on something, and give it her complete energy and attention."</p><p>"We should interview her friends next, people she spent time with outside the office," Grant suggested. "I'd normally say check out romantic partners, but… blimey. Don't know that is warranted here. Where should we start, Harry?"</p><p>"I… I don't know," he admitted, wracking his brain to think of anyone from school that she was close with. Hermione had a notoriously contentious relationship with her dorm-mates in Gryffindor; unsurprisingly, Ravenclaw and Slytherin both wholly despised her, for her grades and her blood status, respectively; '<em>Was there anyone in her life that treated her as a friend and not just a walking glossary?'</em> Even <em>he</em> had limited his interactions with her to a transactional nature, like purchasing that handwriting spell he'd used for Tonks. "Hermione was-, she didn't fit in that well. Always a few years ahead, intellectually, and a few years behind, socially. She- she must have been so lonely-"</p><p>"Easy, son," a weighty hand settled on Harry's shoulder, Frank having quickly taken stock of Harry's emotional state. "Being a kid is hard, and it's easy to look back and realize things we should have done differently. This is why we normally don't work cases we've got personal ties to."</p><p>"Right," Harry said faintly, trying to compartmentalize the guilt he felt. "Sorry."</p><p>"For being human? 'Fraid we're all just as guilty of that, mate," Grant said with a grin. "Frank, how about we take a late lunch, and then meet back up at the DMLE in an hour?"</p><p>"You just want to go make eyes at that bird tending bar at the White Wyvern, admit it!"</p><p>"I, uh, I like their chips. They're just the right side of crunchy, that's all," Grant protested with a slight reddening of his cheeks, while Frank let out a side-splitting laugh.</p><p>"That must be it," he said with one last chuckle, before turning to their 'tag-along'. "Alright there, Harry? Want to join me for a bite in the Ministry cantina?"</p><p>"Err, no, that's okay. I really should drop in on my girl; haven't been spending as much time with her as I should."</p><p>"Nature of the job, mate. Why do you think someone as handsome and charming as me is still single? Hell, the only reason Frank's marriage is still in good shape is that he keeps Alice so busy with their horde of children she doesn't have time to notice what a lout he is!"</p><p>"I'll show you a lout! C'mere, let me show you what mouthing off to your superior gets ya!"</p><p>Harry smiled at their rowdy antics, waving goodbye and apparating to the edge of the Burrow's grounds, walking through the open field surrounding their property. He appreciated Frank trying to cheer him up, but wasn't so easily consoled.</p><p>Hermione was obviously a victim in some way; a person as driven as she would not just abandon the only thing she had going in her life without there being some sort of foul play involved. It had been four days; Harry knew the chances that this case would have a happy ending were next to nothing.</p><p>He had to get past this. He was an <em>auror</em>, he needed to maintain an emotional distance from his cases. But his investigation into Hermione's lonely, empty life - the life of a young woman his age who had nothing but her causes, who had no one but an office full of hostile co-workers… He <em>knew</em> her in school, not well, but he should have recognized someone vulnerable, someone that could use support.</p><p>"Oh, hello there!" Mrs Weasley was tending to their chickens, scattering feed and filling their water. "How are you, today?"</p><p>"I'm well, Mrs Weasley, yourself?"</p><p>"As good as ever, dear," she replied, pausing with a handful of chicken feed clasped in her hand, taking a closer look in his direction. "Everything okay?"</p><p>"Yea," he said, swallowing the lump in his throat, wishing he could do the same for this emotional turmoil. "Is Ginny inside?"</p><p>"She is, go right on in."</p><p>With one last wave, he entered the Burrow and sought out his girlfriend, finding her reading <em>Quality Quidditch Quarterly</em>, a periodical detailing the league standings, trades, and drafting prospects of the British leagues.</p><p>"Harry! Check it out! I'm listed in this issue, and they even graded me!"</p><p>"Congratulations!" he replied, mustering a watery smile. "That's really great."</p><p>"I know! I thought I might be included in the prospects, but they actually did a small write-up, look!" Sure enough, there was a full paragraph under her name, detailing her statistics at Hogwarts and likely landing spots within the league for future development. "What brings you here?"</p><p>"It's my lunch break and I thought I'd see if you'd like to join me for a late bite."</p><p>Glancing over to their family clock which showed the early afternoon hour, Ginny shrugged. "I already ate, but I can come along. Surprised your partner let you off your leash for once."</p><p>"Don't do that, Gin. Not today." Unsurprisingly, Ginny had taken an intense dislike to Tonks, despite never meeting her. Harry had - <em>obviously </em>- hidden the flirtatious nature of his partner from his girlfriend, recognizing Tonks' teasing for what it was, but it didn't make a difference. He couldn't tell if Ginny blamed her for his working long hours, or simply disliked her for being a woman.</p><p>"It's the first time you- fine. Want to go to Diagon?"</p><p>They Flooed to the Leaky Cauldron, where Harry quickly ate a piece of shepherd's pie and listened to Ginny tell him about the draft speculation around her and other young players. It really was a big deal for her, and he tried his best to listen attentively and be excited for her sake.</p><p>Unfortunately, his mind kept returning to his lonely muggleborn year-mate, running through his brief encounters with her over seven years of Hogwarts, of various times that he could have made an effort, or that <em>maybe</em> she'd been trying to reach out to him and he brushed her off, or when he could have stopped others from teasing her and didn't-</p><p>His feelings were swelling, like the tide rolling into shore. What <em>was</em> this? He'd be investigating a lot of missing persons' cases, and even worse crimes in the coming years. This is what Harry had prepared for his <em>whole life</em>, for Merlin's sake! What would his father say about him practically blubbering like a little boy over his very first investigation?</p><p>Harry accidentally bumped into a passerby, and with a start, he realized that he and Ginny were stepping into Florean's for some dessert. Somehow, he'd made it through lunch despite being entirely lost in his own head.</p><p>Maybe… maybe he wasn't cut out for this job, after all. Maybe- "Harry! Over here!"</p><p>"Mum? <em>Tonks</em>?"</p><p>"Hey rook, skiving work today?"</p><p>"Lunch break."</p><p>"Ginevra, how… nice to see you."</p><p>With a forced smile, Ginny nodded hello. "Lady Potter," she greeted, then turned to Tonks. "I don't believe we've been introduced."</p><p>"Ah, Ginny Weasley, this is my partner, Tonks."</p><p>"Just Tonks?"</p><p>"<em>Just</em> Tonks."</p><p>"It's a pleasure to meet you, the kid's told me all about y..." she trailed off, looking closely at Harry before standing from the table and taking a step in his direction, faltering and coming to a halt. "What happened?"</p><p>"I, uh, this isn't-"</p><p>"Do you two need a few minutes to talk shop? I'd be happy to entertain Ginevra in the meantime," his mother interrupted, shoo-ing them away. The look on Ginny's face promised that he was going to pay, but he went anyway, stepping inside a privacy bubble that Tonks cast.</p><p>"Are you okay?"</p><p>"I- I'm having a hard time with this case."</p><p>"So tell me about it," she said, brushing a strand of pink curls behind her ear.</p><p>"It's a missing persons' case. A woman from my year at Hogwarts. No indication she went anywhere voluntarily, but we can't prove foul play, either."</p><p>"Can't prove it <em>yet</em>, you mean. You think…?"</p><p>He nodded. "Yea, I do."</p><p>"Checked out her work, acquaintances, friends?"</p><p>"I think her co-workers would raise a defence fund for whoever took her. They seemed almost happy she was gone. And there are no friends to talk to. She was… she had strong opinions, never was very popular. Maybe if someone had shown interest, had actually been looking <em>out</em> for her-"</p><p>"Someone like you?"</p><p>Harry swallowed deeply, looking away from her piercing gaze, letting his eyes drift down her body. "New outfit?"</p><p>"Your mum and I went shopping," Tonks' answer held the promise of a story, but her focus didn't waver. "What is the matter with you? Did <em>you</em> kidnap this girl?"</p><p>"Of course not, don't be-"</p><p>"And were you responsible for her welfare at Hogwarts? Tasked with helping her fit in, smoothing out her social difficulties?"</p><p>"Tonks-"</p><p>"Listen, you were the same age as her. If there were problems with her that went unnoticed, it wasn't another child's responsibility to correct them. That's why there are teachers. You can't seriously think that <em>you</em>-"</p><p>"I saw it," he choked out, choosing to embrace his anger rather than his shame. "I saw how isolated she was, the way no one wanted her around. Anyone could see what was going on, and instead of doing the <em>right</em> thing, I just ignored it <em>and</em> her, unless she had something I needed. I mean, what the <em>fuck</em> does that make me?"</p><p>"Normal."</p><p>There was a moment of silence, and then she reached out and lightly touched his elbow. "Listen to me - the moment you start blaming yourself for people's deaths that you can't control, that's the start of a journey you won't come back from. I've seen a lot of aurors get eaten up inside, and I'm not going to let that happen to you."</p><p>"Okay."</p><p>"You're going to be okay, newb- <em>Harry</em>. Whatever happened to your vic wasn't your fault. And I know you'll be the one to bring in the bastards that took her."</p><p>He nodded. She was right, what was done was done, but it was more important that he find answers to what became of Hermione Granger than dwell on his own shortcomings. "Thanks, boss."</p><p>"Anytime, rookie," she said with a gentle smile, waving her wand to dispel the privacy charm and walking with him back to their table.</p><p>"What was <em>that</em> about?"</p><p>"Just work stuff, sorry for stepping away like that."</p><p>Ginny glared between the two of them. "It didn't look like work stuff, not the way she was touching you, with her pink hair and that <em>look</em> on her face-"</p><p>"Stop!" he interrupted loudly, "She's my partner. I wasn't trying to be rude, but we're aurors. I can't tell you everything we-"</p><p>"You are <em>so</em> selfish! Everything's always about you. I <em>knew</em> you'd ruin today!" She jumped to her feet, the lightweight stool where she'd sat tumbling to the floor of the shop with a loud <em>crash</em>, drawing everyone's attention as Ginny stormed out of the ice cream shop.</p><p>Harry stared at the ceiling for a brief second, sighing and turning to go after her but was held back. "Let me, it's kind of my fault anyway. I think it's natural for her to be a little hesitant about her man partnering with another woman."</p><p>He wasn't so sure about that, especially not with the mood Ginny was in. And it <em>was</em> a big day for her that his gloominess had rained on.</p><p>"Trust her, dear, ladies like us know how to handle these sorts of things," his mother interjected.</p><p>"Okay." Tonks left in pursuit of his girlfriend, and Harry righted the seat that Ginny had tipped. "I should really get back to the department."</p><p>"No time for ice cream? That's a shame," Lily said, taking a bite out of her sundae. "Did Tonks sort you out?"</p><p>"Yea. Yea, she did."</p><p>"Don't screw things up, son, you'll never find another one like her."</p><p>Merlin, he was going to be late. And on his first day on the case, too- "Wait. Are you talking about Tonks, or Ginny?"</p><p>"Why would you ask that, isn't it obvious? Best get back to work, sweetheart!"</p><hr/><p>"Hey, wait up!"</p><p>The orange-haired girl paused when she realized just who had pursued her. "What do you want?"</p><p>"I wanted to explain-"</p><p>"Ah, so you followed me so that you could tell me all about how I don't understand <em>my</em> boyfriend?"</p><p>"Uh, no. I just feel like there was a bit of a misinterpretation back there."</p><p>"Oh, I think I think I got the picture quite clearly, thanks."</p><p>"Obviously not, or you wouldn't be storming off in a huff!" '<em>Settle down there, girl; don't lose your cool and make things worse'</em> Tonks told herself. "What I mean to say is, Harry has had a rough day. Whatever you think you saw-"</p><p>Ginny's brown eyes darkened with fury. "What I <em>saw</em> was my boyfriend unable to muster even half-hearted congratulations for one of the biggest days of my life. And then, rather than come to <em>me</em> when something is bothering him, he just plastered some phoney smile on his face until he ran across <em>you</em>!"</p><p>Tonks reeled at the hurt and anger from the young woman. "You have to understand, this job- it's not something you can just 'turn off', yea? Harry's going to need some time to work through how to compartmentalize his work life and his, uh-"</p><p>"His girlfriend. I'm his girlfriend."</p><p>"Right." Merlin, what was the issue here? Tonks was starting to see why Lily so obviously disapproved of this girl.</p><p>Ginny stepped closer, into Tonks' space. "He doesn't need to compartmentalize <em>anything</em>. I can be all he needs, and <em>we</em> don't need you butting in. Got it?"</p><p>"Listen, I'm his partner. He and I are going to be close no matter how you feel about-"</p><p>"'Close' at work doesn't mean 'close' physically. If you ever touch him again-"</p><p>Her hair darkened and shortened into a pixie cut, and she could feel her muscles expanding, the adrenaline surging through her pushing a natural defensive reaction from her powers. "Are you seriously threatening an auror? Might want to think that through-" Tonks warned, deliberately casting her eyes down to Ginny's body, "-little girl."</p><p>Little-Miss-Possessive's face went white with rage at that. "You <em>bitch</em>-"</p><p>'<em>What am I doing?!' </em>"Wait. Stop. I'm sorry, this didn't go at all how I wanted it to. We're <em>not</em> doing this - Potter's an auror, and I'm his partner at work. He's your boyfriend the rest of the time. I understand that, all right? The only reason I followed you was because he's upset, and I didn't want his relationship with you to suffer because of it. I apologize, Miss Weasley."</p><p>Ginny stared at her for a long moment, then gave a jerky nod and turned away, resuming her march to the Leaky Cauldron. Tonks, watching her retreat, felt a great deal of embarrassment over the way that had gone down. The last thing she had intended was to add more stress to her partner's personal life. Still, she thought, absentmindedly brushing a pink lock of hair out of her eyes, Harry could do a <em>lot</em> better.</p><p>Taking measured breaths to cool her temper, Tonks made her way back to Florean's, where she found Lily at the same table, wearing a serene expression.</p><p>"Here," she said, sliding over a fresh scoop of ice cream, "I ate the rest of yours, sorry."</p><p>"It's okay, I'm not that hungry anymore."</p><p>"I trust that things worked out?"</p><p>Tonks <em>really</em> didn't want to have this conversation, not with Harry's mum. "Fine. All settled."</p><p>"Wonderful, I knew I could count on you!"</p><p>"Lily, look, since I'm technically here to protect you-"</p><p>"Perhaps, but I've rather enjoyed our time together."</p><p>Tonks shook her head. "Right, I didn't mean to say I didn't, it's just- I need to go to the DMLE, which means I need to get you home."</p><p>With an evaluating look, Lily seemed to understand the sense of urgency that Tonks felt. "Very well. Let's be on our way."</p><p>The whole time that she was escorting her charge back to the Potter's house and returning to the Ministry, Tonks concentrated on calming thoughts in a continuous loop. She'd always had a short fuse, which often got her into hot water. Today - right now - though, she needed to get a handle on herself. That Weasley bint had already frayed her nerves; this confrontation would go differently.</p><p>So it was that she found herself flinging open the door to the Heads Auror's office and slamming it shut behind her. "Where do you get off?!"</p><p>James regarded her with raised eyebrows, offering a mild reaction to her storming into his office. "Pardon?"</p><p>"First, you send Harry off to be a third wheel. He's <em>my</em> partner, we should stick together, whether it's escorting politicians or arresting shoplifters. <em>Then</em>, you make the brilliant decision for his first real case to be investigating the likely fatal disappearance of a girl he practically lived with for seven straight years at Hogwarts?"</p><p>"Junior Auror Tonks-"</p><p>She was on a roll, though, and continued with a full head of steam. "This isn't right. You, Scrimgeour, the rest - you all see him through the lens of the Head Auror's son. But he's only been an auror for a few weeks. You'd <em>never</em> send another rookie off to investigate a friend's death like this, how could you do that to him?" James, who'd looked ready to interrupt, closed his mouth abruptly. "I don't even care if you have to put him with a new partner if that's what it takes. But don't push him off onto cases he's not prepared for just because you want to punish me!"</p><p>"Anything else?" he asked in a mild tone of voice.</p><p>Tonks took a deep breath, her face paling rapidly and her hair shifting through a rainbow of colours. "Er, no sir."</p><p>Pushing his chair back from his desk, the Head Auror stood up and walked over to the pot of coffee sitting beneath a warming charm, pouring himself a cup and then returning to his desk. The silence in the office felt oppressive.</p><p>"I warned him that he wasn't ready, but made the decision that the benefit Harry would bring to the investigation outweighed his inexperience. That may have been a mistake," he admitted. "I'll speak with Senior Auror Longbottom and get an update on how much of a contribution Harry brings to the case before I decide whether or not to take him off of it."</p><p>"Okay."</p><p>"No matter what, tomorrow he'll have other duties to attend to. So will you."</p><p>'<em>Oh no'</em> This was it. Harry would be partnered with someone else, another auror with more experience, one that could actually offer him real cases and interesting work while she - and her career - circled the drain, the consummate bridge-burner just waiting for her inevitable dismissal. "Sir?"</p><p>"You get your wish. Tomorrow, you're back on import inspection duty in the international portkey arrival zone with Potter." Tonks practically went weak at the knees with relief. "Something the matter, Junior Auror?"</p><p>"No, sir. I'm- that's good to hear, is all."</p><p>The barest hint of a smile twisted the Head Auror's lips. "On a personal note, I have to admit that I'm not displeased at the loyalty and concern you have for Harry. This is how partners should treat each other, Tonks." Unspoken, of course, was the message that she should have treated her many previous partners better. "Back to business - what was Lady Potter's reaction to the message I had you deliver this morning?"</p><p>"She, uh, took it in stride, sir."</p><p>"Wonderful. You're dismissed, Tonks, go enjoy the rest of your evening. I think I'll be working late tonight."</p><p>With a potentially irate Lily Potter waiting at home, Tonks didn't blame him one bit.</p><hr/><p>"Hey there, had a good lunch?"</p><p>"I'm sorry that I'm so late getting back," Harry apologized but Frank waved away his comment.</p><p>"Don't worry about it, I know this morning wasn't easy on you. So, want to see what we've been up to?"</p><p>"Absolutely."</p><p>"Well, while you were interviewing the DCRMC workers about Miss Granger, Grant and I were gathering alibis."</p><p>"Unpleasant though they may have been, none of them struck me as the type to- to-, well, I just don't think any of them are responsible for this."</p><p>"Neither do I," Frank agreed, "But it's important to check all possibilities, no matter how remote they may be."</p><p>"While I was lunch, I had a thought. Has anyone told her parents?"</p><p>Grant frowned. "We owled them two days after she disappeared, but have yet to receive a response."</p><p>"Shouldn't someone-" Harry steeled his resolve, "Shouldn't<em> we </em>alert them in person?"</p><p>"Good catch, but it seems that the Department of Magical Education misplaced Granger's records. We don't have their address, and it seems that her parents aren't, uh, registered in muggle lists."</p><p>"You mean unlisted. What about Mag-Ed? Is this sort of thing common, or is this a more 'convenient' situation particular to a case where a woman mysteriously vanished?"</p><p>"The latter, I'm afraid. Typically, their records are impeccable for people like Granger, as they're collated at an early age for resolving instances of under-age magic." Harry and Frank exchanged grimaces. "So what does 'unlisted' mean?"</p><p>"It's related to their communication network. Imagine a book full of Floo addresses that is provided to every citizen that has a connected fireplace." Grant and Frank both paled at the implication, no doubt the safety and privacy concerns at the forefront of their minds. "It's not as scary as you think. Anyway, I stopped on my way back to grab this."</p><p>Grant scooped up the book that Harry pulled out of his robes, flipping through it. "This is the listing?"</p><p>"It's called a directory. Now, the Grangers may be unlisted, but I remember Hermione mentioning her parents were dentists - muggle healers for teeth - so I can't imagine that they would refuse the opportunity to advertise their <em>business</em> in the directory."</p><p>"I get it! So we track them not through their connection to Hermione, but their connection to their muggle business!" Grant looked impressed.</p><p>Frank gave Harry a slap on the back. "Good thinking!"</p><p>Offering a proud grin in reply, he cheekily asked, "So what do you say we go get our teeth checked?"</p><p>The three of them left the Ministry, travelling to Horsham to the commercial address provided in the directory. As it was past business hours when they arrived, they were forced to enter the office using magical methods. It was relatively easy to find the Grangers' home address among the various documents within their business files.</p><p>It was dark by the time they appeared outside of the Granger's home in Crawley, the next town over from their office in Horsham. The twilight proved a useful indicator - given the total lack of light from within the large two-story home - that there was no one home.</p><p>"What do we do now? Should we wait? Return tomorrow?"</p><p>Frank and Grant seemed to communicate wordlessly, giving each other a stare lasting several moments. Finally, Grant turned to Harry. "We're going in. Something doesn't add up, from the very start of this Merlin-forsaken case."</p><p>"Even though it's not necessarily an emergency situation, entering the home of a muggleborn's parents isn't a violation of the Statute. At worst, we'll get a mild complaint from muggles to the Head Auror. Balance that against a Ministry worker that's been missing for nearly a week."</p><p>Harry nodded; they were right. Grant whipped his wand out, unlocking the front door and the three aurors entered, wands drawn and lit. Frank gestured to Grant, pointing upward with two fingers, then using those fingers to point to his own eyes.</p><p>Stepping toward the staircase, a thin circle of wood appeared on the plush, carpeted floor beneath Frank's swirling wand. Grant, covering Frank's approach to the staircase, suddenly ran forward, jumping into the air just as the circle of wood shot upward to the second floor.</p><p>Harry watched in awed surprise as the two veteran aurors completely bypassed the staircase, and swiftly were able to move through the entire two-story home in near-complete silence.</p><p>"Clear!" came the <em>sonorous</em>-enhanced shout from upstairs.</p><p>"Clear!" shouted Frank from the rear of the first floor.</p><p>The lights started to come on as the two went from room to room, flicking lightswitches and examining the empty home. They, along with Harry, slowly and methodically searched the empty house, searching for any information about Hermione among her parents' things.</p><p>Two hours passed, and the Grangers had not come home. Harry, who had strenuously avoided Hermione's old room, was going through her parents' bedroom. It was inside the drawer in her mother's nightstand that he found it - a pamphlet, made of muggle paper, advertising the services of a support group for 'normal' parents with magical children.</p><p>Harry closely examined the tri-fold document. Its graphics were crude, amateurish in design, although the subtle references to Wizarding culture belied its muggle origins. Despite it clearly having been <em>created</em> with muggle means, there was no chance its author was a muggle or muggleborn.</p><p>"Frank? Grant? I think I've got something."</p><p>
  <strong>A/N: First things first - I know Ginny has 'red' hair, but compared to Lily, or say, Susan Bones, the Weasleys are more 'ginger' than real *red*. So thus, I went with 'orange' hair. Shrug.</strong>
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  <strong>Anyway, 6k words! This story is rolling now! We're officially past the 'introduction' and moving into the meat of the plot. I have to tell you guys, the section on Hermione just may have been the saddest thing I've ever written. It was soul-crushing. Please, from a lonely person, be nice to those around you. You really never know what someone's life is like.</strong>
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  <strong>Final note: super-duper PROUD to recommend my beta Nauze's debut story! It will likely be published tomorrow, and is called "Something to Remember"; I've been lucky enough to witness his brainstorming, and I've got to tell you all - I think it's going to be fantastic. So if you see it, be sure to fav/follow/review to keep him writing!</strong>
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  <strong>Stay safe, happy, and healthy! ~Frickles</strong>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>IMPORTANT: This story's rating has changed to Mature. This chapter has a graphic scene of violence. I recognize that up to this point, the story has been very lighthearted, but it <em>is</em> about aurors investigating a serious crime. While the focus will remains on Tonks and Harry, we start to ramp up the action/criminal investigation aspect. If you're here for the fluff, you may not enjoy the next several chapters.</strong>
</p><p>"I can't remember the last time that you beat me here."</p><p>Frank chuckled, standing upright from where he'd been leaning against James' office door. "Just shows that only one of us is still able to keep up with the young'uns. Think you've been behind that desk too long!"</p><p>Opening the door and motioning his old friend inside, James summoned a Ministry elf to prepare some coffee for the two of them. They made idle chit chat about their families, about the upcoming Wizengamot session, about half-hearted plans to get together they each understood their schedules would not permit.</p><p>"So," James began, as they each finished their first cup of the day. "Let me take a guess at what brings you here so early; you're here to tell me Harry's not ready for this case."</p><p>With a low chuckle, Frank set his empty mug on James' desk. "Have you forgotten who you're talking to? You think I would come to work early just so that I could complain to you about your son? No, in fact, based on yesterday I'd say that the kid's all he's cracked up to be."</p><p>"Oh," James said with mild surprise, "That's good to hear."</p><p>Choosing not to voice his thoughts on his friend's apparent disbelief that Harry could contribute to the investigation, Frank instead pressed on. "We've got problems with the Granger case."</p><p>"What have you found?"</p><p>"She's disappeared without a trace. We generated zero leads from her professional and personal life but when we went to interview her parents, we discovered this."</p><p>James accepted the low-quality pamphlet, reading through it before whipping out his wand to cast detection charms. "This is troubling."</p><p>"I'm not done. The Grangers weren't home; our search kept us there 'til just past nine. Grant and I went back before dawn - don't look at me like that, all we did was cast the Human Revealing Charm. They were still gone, so we woke up their neighbours and asked around. The Grangers disappeared the same day as their daughter."</p><p>"What? But- they're just muggles!" James glanced down at the pamphlet. "How sure are we that this case has a connection to the Wizarding World?"</p><p>"I can't sit here and make you a guarantee, but something tells me that you know as well as I do this doesn't add up."</p><p>"Agreed. You and Williamson keep on it, and I expect frequent updates. If this is another situation like the Lestranges, we need to stamp it out fast." Frank nodded and stood up to leave. "So Harry did well, then?"</p><p>"Ask him yourself, James. Give Lils my best."</p><hr/><p>Back from her suspension and day spent with Lily, Tonks met Hestia in the cantina for a bit of breakfast and conversation.</p><p>"For the last time, there really isn't anything to tell."</p><p>Her friend shot her a droll look. "You have dinner with his family, then get reassigned to be his mother's personal bodyguard the next day? Come <em>on</em>! Don't hold out on me now, you know how dull it's been around here lately!"</p><p>"Is that all I am to you? A source of entertainment?"</p><p>"Uh, absolutely. What's she like? The first muggleborn to sit on the Wizengamot! Just think, you're personally acquainted with a woman who's going to be in history books!"</p><p>Tonks thought to the irreverent mother of her partner. "She's funny, and smart. A lot more laid-back than you'd imagine. She took me shopping, and then we had lunch."</p><p>"Seriously, you're <em>so</em> lucky that you got Harry as a partner. I mean, his dad's your boss and his mom's one of the most famous politicians in the country! There's no way you get passed over for promotion again!"</p><p>"The Head Auror doesn't operate that way, and you know it. Besides, even if I could, I wouldn't use <em>connections</em> to get a promotion, I want to earn it!"</p><p>"I know, I know. Sorry, I wasn't trying to say you'd do anything underhanded," Hestia quickly said to placate her. "So what did Harry do without you yesterday? You should've seen him when you were suspended, he looked completely lost!"</p><p>"He tagged along with Longbottom and Williamson, helped them out with a case they're working."</p><p>"What sort of case?"</p><p>Narrowing her eyes, Tonks turned her nose up in mock offence. "Even if I <em>could</em> discuss ongoing investigations, I certainly wouldn't tell a shameless gossip like you!"</p><p>"Prat!"</p><p>They finished their breakfast in relative silence after that, Hestia telling her the latest from her side of the DMLE, discussing plans for their next day off, opining about what was new in the <em>Prophet</em>. Shortly thereafter, Harry arrived for them to head off to their assigned duty of the day.</p><p>International portkeys were heavily regulated by the Ministry of Magic. Inside the Ministry, there were two arrival terminals for incoming portkeys; one was for travelling wizards and witches, the other for bulk cargo imports. Technically, jurisdiction for their purchase and operation fell under the purview of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, but in the case of the bulk arrivals, aurors were on-site to check for contraband.</p><p>The intense magical charge required to propel matter such enormous distances meant that shrinking and feather-light charms weren't viable. It was for this reason that the bulk cargo terminal was built. Imports were packaged in their country of origin, the paperwork filed and neatly tucked into a pouch on the outside of the container, and then the entire shipment was portkeyed to its destination. Upon arrival, imports underwent a cursory inspection and were then forwarded to their recipient.</p><p>It was dull and tedious work, and this was the second time that Tonks and Harry had been saddled with the job. The sheer volume of incoming material meant they didn't have much opportunity for chatter, so Tonks had no opportunity to follow up with her partner about the second half of his day with Longbottom and Williamson.</p><p>He seemed to have gotten past the turmoil he'd suffered the previous day, energetically and efficiently carrying out his work, displaying none of the boredom and irritation that she had to fight hard to tamp down. She wondered what had happened after he went back to the department, wondered if his little girlfriend (she'd never be able to think of her in any other way after yesterday) had told him about their encounter, if his father had told him that she'd pushed to have him assigned with her once more.</p><p>At what point had she started worrying about what he was thinking?</p><p>Shaking her head to chase away those errant thoughts, Tonks watched him inspect the next container that arrived in a bright flash. "What do we have, rook?"</p><p>Harry unsealed the pouch containing the import documentation. "Looks like a shipment of cauldrons to Potage's in Diagon Alley. Sent from," he unrolled the parchment further, "Romania. Documents check out." He raised his wand to shrink and lighten the container for it to be mailed out.</p><p>"Hold on a sec," Tonks ordered. Something about this seemed strange. "When we had this shift last week, didn't a shipment for Potage's come through then, also?"</p><p>"Um, I can't recall…" he replied, flipping through the back-pages of the logbook. "Seems like you were right, boss. Container of brass cauldrons, sent from Poland, mailed out the day of arrival."</p><p>"Isn't it a little odd that Potage's is importing so <em>many</em> cauldrons? In July?"</p><p>Harry shrugged. "Maybe they're just overstocking for when Hogwarts students do their shopping."</p><p>"Maybe. What kind of cauldrons are inside this one?"</p><p>He set down the logbook and picked up the scroll. "Sixty-two collapsible cauldrons."</p><p>"<em>Collapsible</em> cauldrons?! What are they importing those for? They're made with scrap metal, and the enchantments are elementary. And sixty-two of them? No Hogwarts student buys those. Something's off about this," she said, stepping closer to the container and drawing her wand.</p><p>"What do you- wait! Don't!" It was too late; with several sweeps of her wand, the spelled packaging broke apart, the shipment unsealing itself to display the contents within. "All of their paperwork is in order! It's a violation of Ministerial guidelines to damage commercial property-"</p><p>"Settle down, newbie, and come take a look," Tonks commanded, peering inside the container. Rows and rows of liquid jars, some with items suspended in a clear solution, others opaque and too dark to discern were lined up, carefully packaged with soft insulation to prevent damage. "Just what the hell is going on here?"</p><p>"Is that- it's not dragon's blood, is it?"</p><p>"I think so," she confirmed, grimacing in distaste as she lifted a different jar. "This look like an eyeball to you?"</p><p>Harry looked closely. "You don't think-"</p><p>"Well, considering the other items are all highly regulated potions ingredients from magical creatures, yea, I do. Galleons to gobstones it's a centaur eye."</p><p>"Merlin."</p><p>"What's the address on the delivery?"</p><p>Harry examined the scroll. "39 and a half, Diagon Alley. 'And a half'?"</p><p>"Usually means a second-floor delivery. Lots of shopkeeps live above their businesses," Tonks commented in an offhand way, her face scrunched in concentration. "<em>Expecto Patronum! </em>Auror Potter, we need an investigation team at the bulk cargo terminal immediately."</p><p>It took less than ten minutes for their backup to arrive, Senior Auror Scrimgeour escorting two other aurors. "What's going on?"</p><p>"Take a look - we found this inside a supposed shipment of cauldrons for Potage's."</p><p>Scrimgeour bent down, taking a look at some of the jars that Harry and Tonks had yet to remove from the container, lifting one out. "Gods above, looks like enough Merfolk scales to cover at least three of their tails. How did this get approved for transport? Cargo is supposed to be catalogued, item-by-item, prior to shipment!"</p><p>"Anyone that's got the gold to gather contraband like this certainly wouldn't have any trouble greasing a few palms," Tonks pointed out. "We need to move on this, they'll be expecting the delivery within the hour, especially for an address so close by."</p><p>Pulling out another jar that was obviously an internal organ of some sort, Scrimgeour nodded. "You're right. Sweet Merlin, we're going to have to bring in the Unspeakables just to identify some of this stuff. Tonks, Potter, search Potage's and the shop above. Apprehend all persons on the premises."</p><p>Baring her teeth in a feral grin, Tonks gave a lazy salute and grabbed Harry, half-dragging him to the Floo.</p><hr/><p>Squeezing his wand, Harry hoped he didn't look as nervous as he felt. Of course, he supposed, it wouldn't matter all that much if he <em>did</em>, considering he was currently beneath a Disillusionment Charm, creeping towards the back door of Potage's. It had taken them less than fifteen minutes to travel from the Ministry to Diagon, quickly cloaking themselves in stealth charms and surreptitiously navigating the Alley.</p><p>'<em>There</em>' He felt a disapparition jinx snap into place, and heard Tonks' muffled shout of "DMLE! Freeze!"</p><p>Quickly destroying the door with a Reductor Charm, Harry burst into the back of the shop. There was no one in sight, so he quickly moved out of the storage room he was, seeking out the staircase to the second floor. Entering the next room, he saw Tonks standing over three people, two of them unconscious and the third wrapped tightly in conjured ropes.</p><p>"What are you doing? Get upstairs!"</p><p>'<em>Where in Merlin's name is the staircase?'</em> he thought, frantically retracing his steps, throwing out detection charms in the storeroom he entered into. A heavily warded section of wall lit up following his spell, and rather than attempt to break the enchantment, Harry instead hit it with the most powerful Explosion Hex he could muster, the wards flickering, then falling after a second cast.</p><p>Leaping through the rubble to a small spiral staircase, he took the steps two at a time, sprinting as quickly as he could up to the second level, just in time to witness a flash of light from a portkey activation.</p><p>"They got away! Portkey!" he shouted down to his partner. With a steady glow emitting from the tip of his wand, Harry took his first look around the upstairs space.</p><p>It clearly was not a domicile. There was no furniture beyond multiple tables and several large shelving units. There was what looked to be a fairly sophisticated potions lab behind the staircase he'd emerged from, recently in use, judging from the puffing smoke rising out of one of the cauldrons.</p><p>Taking care to cast a preservation charm and extinguish the heat source beneath the cauldron (it wouldn't do to get blown up by a half-formed potion, after all), he turned to examine the nearest of the four tables. The shadows melted away as his <em>lumos</em> slowly cast light over its surface, revealing his first clue as to what exactly had been taking place above the cauldron shop.</p><p>A human body lay, nude and supine on the metallic tabletop, chest torn open, ribs cracked and separated revealing the chest cavity. Several organs were missing, and attached to the limbs of the corpse were what looked like intravenous lines, dripping a potion of some sort.</p><p>It was all he could do to keep from gagging. Harry had never encountered anything this- this <em>monstrous</em>. Were they experimenting on human beings?! Swallowing back the bile, he stepped closer, trying his best to shunt his horror to the side, to detach himself from the viscerality of this moment.</p><p>The victim was an adult female, he noted clinically, strengthening his Lighting Charm to take in her full form. Judging by the lack of blemishes and wrinkles, she was not elderly, perhaps between twenty and thirty years-</p><p>It felt like his heart had stopped beating, like the bottom of his stomach had just dropped through the floor. Long, chestnut-brown curls, matted with sweat and blood and hung limply off the far edge of the table, and with a trembling hand, he moved his wand closer, suppressing a sob as he looked at the face of his former classmate.</p><p>He'd found Hermione Granger.</p><p>For a long moment, he was still. He wanted to flee, wanted to get the hell <em>out</em> of here, to not have to <em>see </em>what those sick <em>fucks</em> had done to her! His eyes, though, refused to obey and he stared, unable to so much as look away. She wore a terrified expression, fearful and agonized, and Harry shuddered to think about what her last moments must have been like.</p><p>"I'm so, so sorry, Hermione," he said in a faint voice, biting his lip as he reached out with his free hand to shut her eyelids, to restore some semblance of peace to her terrorized visage. It was the absolute least he could do for her now - in death - after how he had refused to recognize her in life. His hand neared her face, and he prepared himself for the cold, lifeless feel of her flesh.</p><p>
  <em>She blinked.</em>
</p><hr/><p>"I just don't understand how this could have happened right under his nose. It's hard for me to imagine that he didn't have something to do with it."</p><p>James nodded to Rufus, who slid a sheaf of parchment towards her. "Here's the healer's report. Perkins had apparently been held under the Imperius for a considerable length of time. He had no recollection of being placed under the curse, and legilimency scans provide no evidence that he had any awareness of what his second floor had been converted to."</p><p>Tonks ignored the report, pushing it back across the table. "Okay, well that's all I know. Is the debriefing over?"</p><p>"What's the rush, Junior Auror? Haven't you been complaining about your duty assignments? Now you finally land yourself on a big case and you can't leave fast enough!"</p><p>"You <em>arse!</em> My partner's in St. Mungo's and you're going to mouth off like this?! Don't you have an ounce of humanity?"</p><p>"Sit down, Tonks. Rufus, a little professionalism, please?" He waited until the agitated auror settled back into her seat. "Harry's been given a sedative potion, anyway, so let's finish this. Now, as you know, the remains you found were those of Hermione Granger-"</p><p>"Remains? Harry said- he said she was still alive."</p><p>With a sigh, James ran a hand over his face. "In the most base, technical definition of the word, yes. There was some sort of potion being pumped into her that kept her body functioning, but in every actual meaning, she had already expired. As had her parents, the other two bodies present at the scene."</p><p>"What was the point? Why did they do this?"</p><p>Rufus, having been properly chastened, was the one to answer. "It appears that the second floor of Potage's had been used as a laboratory of sorts. We don't yet know <em>why</em>, but based on our mediwizard's initial report, the vivisection was part of some sort of genetic research."</p><p>"Vivi- you mean, they were doing that- that-, they did <em>that</em> while they were still alive?!"</p><p>"Yes," James said, a cold fury clearly audible in his voice. "As you might imagine, based on the potions ingredients and creature parts that you intercepted, as well as the sophistication of the equipment we discovered at Potage's, this is clearly not the work of one individual."</p><p>Tonks nodded. "And with the amount of gold they must have spent gathering that contraband, we're talking about someone with deep vaults and a lot of influence."</p><p>"Yes, the kind of people that have the ability and means to gather information from a variety of sources… including the Ministry."</p><p>James sat back, allowing her to work through his statement. "You think that the investigation into the Grangers' disappearance has been compromised?"</p><p>"It's highly likely, after what happened today. What was going in that lab was too extreme, too horrific to not get spread around. In light of the seriousness of it, though, I'm invoking the secrecy oaths per classification procedures."</p><p>Tonks whipped her wand out and gave her oath, magically swearing to not speak of the case to anyone outside of the investigation team. "Can I go now?"</p><p>"Yes. Give Harry my best." She barely acknowledged his words, rushing out of the debriefing room. Rufus stood to close the door she'd left open before returning to his seat, looking at him with a tight expression. "What is it?"</p><p>"You're not planning on involving her in the case, are you?"</p><p>"Not a chance in hell, unless we assign her a new partner," James answered immediately. "But on a case this big, you know that Amelia's going to make the final call."</p><p>The two men sat in silence, their rivalry forgotten in the face of such a terrible crime. "What do you think the chances are that we'll be able to keep a lid on this without half the country, much less the killers, finding out that what we've stumbled upon?"</p><p>"Not even <em>we</em> know what this is, not yet. Honestly, though, I'd put the chances at or about zero that word on Granger doesn't get out, if it already hasn't. But counting my son, only five people know about what was found in the Granger's home. Hopefully, invoking the secrecy oaths this early on will give us a head start."</p><p>"Going to go visit your boy?"</p><p>"Not yet. I need to brief Amelia, and I need to be here when Longbottom and Williamson return." He ignored the look that Rufus gave him, choosing instead to retreat to his own office.</p><p>In truth, James was afraid. He'd dreamed from the moment Harry was born of his son following in his footsteps, two Potters paving the way for a brighter future. And what happened? Harry's first case - a case that <em>James</em> had put him on - lands him in St. Mungo's, required to pass a mental health examination before he could resume his duties. Was he really so blinded by his own ego that the worst auror in the department recognized what a bad idea it was to throw Harry into the field?</p><p>'<em>Settle down</em>' he told himself. Aurors had to maintain emotional distance at all times. Yes, he'd made a mistake, but after Tonks had chewed him out, he'd put Harry back on assignments more appropriate for someone with his experience. There was no way anyone could have anticipated what they'd find, or what it would lead to.</p><p>Mercifully, his thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door. "Enter."</p><p>Frank stepped inside, followed by his partner, and James could tell with only a glance at their expressions that this case was about to get much, much worse.</p><hr/><p>Ignoring the protests and angry mutters, Tonks walked past the witches and wizards waiting in line at reception, flashing her badge at the mediwitch manning the desk.</p><p>"DMLE. What room is Harry Potter in?"</p><p>The receptionist squeaked at her hard tone, quickly leafing through various pieces of parchment. "Um, looks like room 071."</p><p>"Artefact Accidents?" Tonks, her mother being a healer, was familiar with the floorplan of St. Mungo's.</p><p>"Of course!" the receptionist chirped, then asked in curiosity, "What're the aurors interested in a broom accident for?"</p><p>'<em>Should've known'</em> Tonks realized, connecting the secrecy oath she had to give with Harry's unusual placement in the hospital. "Routine check for Statute violations. I'll find my own way, thanks."</p><p>She hustled down the corridor of the ground level, quickly locating her partner's room. He was obviously still sedated, lying unconscious. At least whoever had checked him in had the foresight to remove his auror robes.</p><p>"Jeez, rookie, look at what a mess you've landed yourself in," she told him, pulling the lone chair in his room closer to the bed. "You're going to be alright. It's this way for everyone their first time. Hell, you should've seen me the first time I stumbled over a vic; and I'm not speaking in euphemisms, I literally tripped over a body!"</p><p>'<em>It wasn't someone I knew, though' </em>she reminded herself. Why did it have to be him? She'd just, the day before, tried to ease the guilt and remorse he felt over how Granger's life had turned out, the absolute last thing he needed was to discover her grisly remains.</p><p>Without really thinking twice about what she was doing, Tonks reached out, brushing a lock of his black hair away from his forehead and then softly trailed her fingers over his brow. This was okay, she was just looking out for her partner after a tough shift. Anyone would do the same, she rationalised, reaching out for his hand with her other. She was sure that Harry would-</p><p>"Nymphadora? What are you doing here?"</p><p>Gods, how could she have forgotten to close the door? This was the absolute <em>last</em> thing she needed today! "Hi, Mum."</p><p>Andromeda Tonks paused at the doorway, taking in the scene of her daughter seated at Harry's bedside, before stepping into the room and pressing a brief kiss to Tonks' forehead. "What brings you here today?"</p><p>"Uh, broom accident."</p><p>Her mother picked up Harry's chart, glancing between the young man and the clipboard. "Is that so?"</p><p>"Yea, I'm waiting for him to wake up to determine if there were any muggles that witnessed it. Statute violations, and all that."</p><p>Andromeda gave her <em>that</em> <em>look</em>, the one that made Tonks feel like she was still a child, before tapping the clipboard with her wand. "I suppose that you are this affectionate with everyone you're assigned to question, then?"</p><p>Quickly releasing Harry's hand, Tonks had to visibly control her powers from displaying her embarrassment. She opened her mouth to reply but didn't honestly know what she was or wasn't allowed to say - and besides, it was her <em>mother</em>, the one who still acted like Tonks should be tied to her apron strings.</p><p>"I see," Andromeda said, returning the clipboard to its proper place. "You didn't tell me you had a new partner."</p><p>"How-?!"</p><p>"Healers know the spell to reverse the disguise on patient charts for cases like these. It wouldn't very well do for there to be an emergency, and none of us know what exactly we were supposed to be treating, after all."</p><p>"Oh. Should've figured it was something like that. You're not the healer assigned to him, are you?" She <em>definitely</em> didn't want Harry spending time with her mother.</p><p>"No, there's a mind healer who specializes in situations like these. I simply happened to be passing by and- well, you never <em>have</em> been able to resist standing out."</p><p>Lips pressed in a firm line, Tonks gave a short nod. "Well, it was nice seeing you. Do give my best to Dad, won't you?"</p><p>"You've been avoiding us." Merlin, couldn't she take a hint and just <em>go</em>?</p><p>"I've been busy with work."</p><p>"The kind of work you were engaged in when I walked in?" Tonks rolled her eyes. Her mother always was uptight. '<em>Can take the girl out of the Blacks, but can never the Black out of a girl' </em>she thought wryly. "Are you sleeping with him?"</p><p>"<em>What?! </em>Mother!"</p><p>"It's just a question. I've been a healer for a long time, and I've seen plenty of aurors visit their partners. Can't say I remember anyone needing to 'comfort' them with both hands."</p><p>"It's nothing like- just get out!"</p><p>"Certainly, dear. Hope to hear from you soon," Andromeda said lightly, before pausing in the doorway. "Harry Potter, eh? How interesting…"</p><p>Once she'd retreated under Tonks' glare, the auror let out a heavy sigh and reached for her partner's hand once more.</p><hr/><p>"What did you find?"</p><p>"Your hunch was right on the mark. There's definitely a leak coming from Hopkirk's office."</p><p>After he'd thought through that pamphlet that had been discovered at the Granger home, James had sent Frank to look into any other muggleborn disappearances. Given that Hermione Granger was the only one reported missing, he'd had Frank drop in on muggle families with magical children too young for Hogwarts. The Improper Use of Magic Office catalogued any time that the DMLE was required to reverse accidental magic, noting the addresses of the new-found muggleborns as part of their obligation to maintaining the Statute of Secrecy.</p><p>"How many?"</p><p>Frank's face was grim. "All of them."</p><p>James couldn't hold back a gasp. "You're- that's not possible. How could they have taken so many without us knowing?" This made the Lestranges' atrocities in the 70s seem like a minor case of muggle-baiting!</p><p>"It's not as though anyone from the magical world has much in the way of contact with muggleborns prior to their receiving Hogwarts letters. As abominable as whoever is doing this obviously is, it's a brilliant plan to not draw attention."</p><p>"Merlin. This is a disaster…" It really was. Muggleborns were a significant part of every incoming year at Hogwarts, usually numbering between one-sixth and one-fifth of the new students. When it got out that the Ministry had allowed an entire generation of them to be abducted and-; he didn't want to imagine what happened to Granger happening to <em>children</em>! "I've invoked the classification protocols for this case. I'll need your oaths, then we're heading out to brief Amelia on this immediately."</p><p>The three of them marched into the Director's office after snagging Rufus along the way. Amelia listened to their report, her expression turning grave. "James, what are your thoughts?"</p><p>"I'm concerned about operational security. If this isn't already the talk of the Ministry, it soon will be. We've got no suspects, and their motives are unknown. All we know is that they're targeting muggleborn families."</p><p>"It seems that they've managed to stay off the radar for quite some time. Do we know when the first families were abducted?" James had to admire the way that Amelia quickly found new avenues of investigation to pursue.</p><p>Grant was the one to answer. "No clue. We could cross-check Hopkirk's records with Hogwarts enrollment, see if there are any students from previous years that were sent letters and didn't reply. As it is, though, there won't be a single muggleborn among the First Years at Hogwarts that's had an incident of accidental magic reported."</p><p>It felt so unreal to James. Someone had been cleansing Magical Britain's muggleborn children, and they'd had no idea it was going on. Amelia, though, maintained her focus. "Scrimgeour, check that out tonight. Quietly - don't let anyone know we've made the connection between the Granger case and the missing muggleborns. See if you can't identify when this whole thing began. Does anyone have any ideas why they changed their tactics and went after Granger?"</p><p>"My son was in her year in Gryffindor, mentioned her a few times. Seems she was a rather exceptional young woman."</p><p>"That's the kind of thing that tends to upset the blood purists," Amelia pointed out.</p><p>Frank nodded, eyebrows creasing in concentration. "I remember one specific thing Neville wrote home about. Stood out to me at the time."</p><p>"What's that?"</p><p>"He said Granger had gotten the most OWLs of any muggleborn student since Lil- erm, I mean Lady Potter."</p><p>The uneasiness in James' gut tightened into fear. "You don't think-"</p><p>"If I recall, Lady Potter recently asked for a protection detail, did she not?"</p><p>His cheeks burned. "She did, but-"</p><p>Amelia waited expectantly when James trailed off. "But?"</p><p>How was he supposed to admit that his wife was trying to set his son up with his partner? "But it didn't seem warranted at the time."</p><p>"Might be worth revisiting that decision. Frank, continue to follow Granger's trail. Take it back to Hogwarts, find out if there were threats or incidents while she was there. Rufus will pursue the Office of Improper Use of Magic angle. James, sit down with your wife, go through every piece of menacing mail she's ever received, even the ones that you need to look sideways at to see the threat."</p><p>Each of them voiced their understanding, and stood to carry out her orders. "Oh, James, a moment if you would."</p><p>He waited for the other three men to leave, standing in front of her desk. "Yes?"</p><p>"There's one more lead that I'd like to pursue."</p><p>"I assume that it's something you'd like kept as quiet as possible?"</p><p>"I knew there was a reason I named you Head Auror," she said, a trace of sarcasm in her voice. "It seems that we have an opportunity, thanks to your invoking the secrecy oaths. That was good thinking, by the way."</p><p>He brushed off the praise. It hardly felt like he'd been doing his job very well, given all he'd learned today. "What opportunity?"</p><p>"I'd like to see Potter and Tonks, tomorrow, in this office. I'm reassigning them to this case."</p><p>"Director, you don't understand. Ha- Junior Auror Potter's currently on medical leave."</p><p>"Already? He's been on the force for, what, a month?"</p><p>"He was the one to find the Grangers, ma'am. Like Frank's boy, he knew her at Hogwarts; he had a, uh- it wasn't easy on him. Departmental policy, he can't return without a mind healer's clearance."</p><p>Amelia's nostrils flared in annoyance. "I want a report from St. Mungo's on my desk by lunch tomorrow. Either he can handle the job, or he can't. This isn't time for molly-coddling and hand-holding. He's an auror, James."</p><p>Bristling at her tone and her words, he nodded. "Fine. I'll set up Potter's evaluation for tomorrow morning. Is that all?"</p><p>"Dismissed."</p><p>
  <strong>A/N: Still reading? I fully expect to get some unhappy reviews, but the fact is that I thought the Hermione scene was too good to exclude or water down. The reason this update came on Tuesday instead of Monday was because I had a long, long chat with my beta (Nauze), about whether or not it worked with this story. In the end, we agreed to roll with it. I always planned for Hermione to die in a human experiment, so it wasn't like I'm deviating from my outline. Still, I understand that a lot of people may be turned off by a grisly scene of that nature.</strong>
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  <em>
    <strong>That being</strong>
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  <strong> said: While there are fight scenes later on, there isn't anything as graphic as the baddies removing organs while the subject is still alive. This was the worst you'll see out of this fic. So if you're still interested, thanks for sticking with me. Going to be a lot of fun!</strong>
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  <strong>Stay safe, healthy, and happy! ~Frickles</strong>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Did you go see Harry?"</p><p>"I went in the afternoon. I can't believe you saved all these!"</p><p>Lily looked up from the cardboard box full of parchment. "There's a certain satisfaction they bring. I must be doing something right if the worst people in our society are so upset."</p><p>James set the angry letter he was reading aside, reaching for the next in the pile. "Most of these are barely legible. I don't know how threatened we should feel over someone that can't spell 'blood'."</p><p>"Was Nymphadora still there when you went?"</p><p>"She was. I told her to go home, get some rest."</p><p>"And how well did she take that?"</p><p>"She politely told me to sod off."</p><p>LIly chuckled, clearly pleased to hear that. "I don't think even she realizes how much Harry means to her."</p><p>"Lily…"</p><p>"When it's right, it's right. I've spent a fair amount of time around her; a woman knows, James," Lily said with finality. There was little point to arguing. "What about Harry?"</p><p>"He's on medical leave until a mind healer gives him clearance."</p><p>"I'm looking forward to having him around the house for a while. I can't imagine what it must have been like, to find his schoolmate that way."</p><p>James shot a piercing look at his wife. "How do you know about that?"</p><p>"Oh, honey, really - <em>everyone</em> knows about it. A Ministry worker experimented on like she was some sort of muggle science project? At least three different people fire-called me to gossip."</p><p>'<em>Merlin, what a disaster'</em> "Great." At that moment, he was doubly grateful for the secrecy protocols; nothing good could come from telling Lily that Amelia was trying to put Harry back on the case, and that his mental health evaluation was to take place first thing in the morning.</p><p>"So if Amelia is having us go through my mail, I suppose that means I'll need a protection detail, doesn't it?"</p><p>"It's something that we're looking at, yes."</p><p>"And since Nymphadora will be on desk duty while Harry is recovering, she's available, isn't she?"</p><p>James rubbed at both his temples. "Can't you let up on this? Don't we have bigger things to worry about?"</p><p>Lily looked at him in confusion. "Is there something I should know about?"</p><p>'<em>Nothing except that an entire generation of muggleborns have likely been wiped out'</em> "No. Come on, let's finish, it's getting late."</p><hr/><p>Harry groggily opened his eyes, quickly taking in his surroundings.</p><p>"Easy there, Auror Potter; how do you feel?"</p><p>He focused on the healer. "Why am I here?"</p><p>Her long, wavy black hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, a stark contrast to her pale skin. Her features were familiar, but he couldn't quite place them- "You underwent a traumatic event and were placed under sedation."</p><p>His observation of the healer fell away as images from Potage's flashed before his eyes. "I- I remember her face, then feeling…"</p><p>"It's okay, just breathe; in and out, that's it."</p><p>"I'm fine."</p><p>"Sure you are," she agreed easily, looking over her shoulder for a moment. "You'll be meeting with a mind healer in the morning; standard Departmental policy."</p><p>"Okay," he replied, running through the policies in his head. That meant he'd have to pass an evaluation to be cleared for duty. "What time is it?"</p><p>"Just before midnight," the healer said. "Well, you seem to be doing fine, no need for any further potions."</p><p>"I'm fine," he repeated. "Sorry for the trouble."</p><p>"No trouble at all, Auror Potter. Now that you're awake and doing better, perhaps you can convince my daughter to stop loitering here and actually go home to sleep in her own bed."</p><p>As she stepped away from his bed, Harry looked past her at his sleeping partner, contorted uncomfortably into a chair. "Tonks?" He looked back at the healer; at Sirius' cousin, suddenly feeling a bit nervous.</p><p>"I put a privacy charm around us, so as not to disturb her while I checked on you."</p><p>"She waited here?"</p><p>"She did, most curious, that. I understand you recently graduated from the Academy?"</p><p>"Yes ma'am." Something about Andromeda Tonks made him feel nervous, like <em>he</em> was a suspect being interrogated. "I've been on the force for about a month."</p><p>"I spoke with my cousin. You two have been spending quite a bit of time together outside of work, no?"</p><p>"Erm, I'm not sure I'd say 'quite a bit', but we've met outside of official working hours, yes."</p><p>Andromeda slowly moved her eyes between her daughter and Harry. "Including dinner in your home?"</p><p>"With my family, yes."</p><p>"I see. Well, fair's fair. When should I expect you for dinner with my husband and I?"</p><p>Maybe it was the lingering effects of the potions he'd been given, but Harry didn't particularly care for this line of questioning. "If Tonks wants to invite me to dinner, that's up to her."</p><p>Andromeda regarded him with a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth. She waved her wand, cancelling the charm. "Nymphadora, your partner's awake."</p><p>"Hmm, wha-? Harry!" Tonks jumped out of her seat, immediately face-planting onto the hospital floor. "Gods dammit!"</p><p>"Language!"</p><p>"Come off it, Mum, I'm twenty-six years old!" She rubbed at her legs. "Merlin-forsaken chair cut off my circulation."</p><p>She stood up, brushing off her robes and pushing past Andromeda. "Hey boss," Harry said, offering a grim smile.</p><p>"Hey rookie, feelin' better after your nap?"</p><p>"Yea, I am. Bring me up to speed on the investigation?"</p><p>Tonks eyed him warily, eventually giving a slow nod. "Mum, we'll need some privacy."</p><p>"I was just leaving. Glad to see you're on the mend, Auror Potter."</p><p>They both waited until the door closed and the requisite privacy charms put in place. "First, I need your oath; the Head Auror initiated secrecy protocols."</p><p>She fished his wand out of her robes, and Harry quickly rattled off the requisite oath. Before the flash from his vow had even faded, he asked again, "Have there been any breaks? Any leads? How is Hermione?"</p><p>"Listen, I know what you saw, but- she's gone, Harry. It was like after someone's received the Dementor's Kiss; there was nothing left of her," Tonks said gently, sitting on the edge of his bed and taking his hand.</p><p>"No!" he cried out, pulling his hand away from hers in agitation. "She blinked! She knew I was there!"</p><p>"It's called spontaneous movement. Would you really prefer that she be alive and aware of what had happened to her? It is a mercy that she's passed on."</p><p>He squeezed his hands into fists. "What about the investigation? Do we have any leads on the shipment? How about Perkins, did he talk?"</p><p>She hesitated, looking over the way his body had tensed beneath the thin sheet. "Maybe you should take some time, focus on getting better. We'll get them, that's a guarantee."</p><p>He took a deep breath, consciously willing his anger to recede. Catching her gaze with his own, he consciously kept his voice even and steady. "You're my partner. I need you right now."</p><p>She was quiet for a long moment before eventually nodding. "Okay." A deep breath, then she began, "Perkins had been under the Imperius for some time. He has no recollection of who placed him under the curse, nor of anything taking place on the second floor of his shop. It's a dead end."</p><p>"And the shipment?"</p><p>"The Romanians are stonewalling us. Claim that their inspection was by the book, that they don't know where or how the ingredients made it through. There's not a lot we can do to force them to cooperate."</p><p>"You're telling me we've got nothing? What about the Grangers? Her parents, I mean."</p><p>"They were on the other tables in the lab you found."</p><p>"I see. And the pamphlet? Anything come out of that?"</p><p>She shrugged in confusion. "I don't know anything about a pamphlet. What are you talking about?"</p><p>Harry quickly explained the advert that he'd found, the existence of a 'support group' for parents of muggleborn children. "It seemed pretty significant."</p><p>"I'll see what I can find out," she promised, then tried to suppress a yawn.</p><p>"How long have you been here?"</p><p>"Just a few hours."</p><p>Somehow, Harry doubted that. "I'm okay, you should go get some rest. Sleep in an actual bed, I doubt St. Mungo's chairs are all that comfortable."</p><p>Tonks looked torn, so he said again, "Go. I'm fine, there's nothing to worry about."</p><p>"I'll stop by your place tomorrow and check on you, okay?"</p><p>'<em>My place?'</em> "Right. Thanks, Tonks; for staying, I mean."</p><p>After she left, Harry settled into the bed, closing his eyes and slowly breathing in and out. Tonks' evaluation of the case didn't inspire much in the way of confidence. He wanted- no, he <em>needed</em> to be part of getting justice for Hermione. Maybe he was new, maybe he'd had a hard time dealing with the facts and circumstances of this case; none of that mattered.</p><p>First, though, that meant getting clearance from the mind healer. Harry had read the handbook, cover to cover, dozens of times. He understood the procedure for an auror on medical leave to return to active duty. He also understood that his mental state was far from the detached and emotionally distant ideal that the DMLE expected from aurors on assignment.</p><p>Hours passed, and when the sun rose, Harry lay in the same position he was in when Tonks left. His mother always said that Harry was James' son, but the fact was his father worked long hours for much of his life. That left a lot of time for Lily Potter, one of the more exceptional witches in recent generations, to spend instructing her son on areas of magic that <em>she</em> wished she'd learned at Hogwarts.</p><p>One such area of instruction was in the Mind Arts. Lily was no master occlumens, but she learned from Horace Slughorn, a wizard of average power who spent his whole life swimming with sharks, so to speak. Harry's occlumency shields were of middling strength, but Lily <em>had</em> taught him how to master the skill of presenting modified memories to mental intruders.</p><p>So it was that he spent more than six hours straight in his own mind, sorting through what he remembered of his breakdown after discovering Hermione. There were things he <em>didn't</em> have memory of - for example, of Tonks discovering him, or how it was he arrived at St. Mungo's - so in those instances he simply fabricated them.</p><p>"Auror Potter?" There was a quiet knock at the door, and a tall dark-skinned man stepped inside. "My name is Aldritch Ballard, I'm a mind healer. How are you feeling?"</p><p>"I'm doing well, a lot better actually."</p><p>"That's great news. I've been asked to conduct a mental health evaluation, to check if you're cleared to return to duty. How does that make you feel?"</p><p>Harry kept his features neutral, confidently meeting the healer's eyes. "I'm eager to get back in the field."</p><p>Ballard lifted the folder he'd walked in with. "This was your first major case, wasn't it?"</p><p>"My first missing persons case, yes."</p><p>"And you were close with the victim?"</p><p>"Not particularly, no."</p><p>Ballard raised his eyebrows. "You were in the same House at Hogwarts. You lived in close quarters with her for seven years."</p><p>"That's true, yes, but we ran in different circles," Harry said, folding his hands in his lap. "I assume that you're aware of the condition that she was discovered in?"</p><p>"Yes; quite horrifying. I can only imagine what it must have been like to know someone that went through that." Harry didn't reply, and Ballard opened up the folder, glancing over the parchment inside. "I'll be perfectly honest with you, Auror Potter, it is unusual to conduct an evaluation of this sort less than twenty-four hours after the traumatic incident. Normally, I would meet with your partner and with your superiors to establish all the background information. Unfortunately, the DMLE has demanded I carry out your evaluation now."</p><p>"I'm confident that I'm all right," Harry said. "The crime scene was gruesome, absolutely. And I admit, I was shocked to stumble upon Hermi- the victim in such a state. But I don't know how else I can prove that I'm fit for duty."</p><p>"This may sound invasive, but I'd like to carry out a legilimency scan of your memories around the incident. Now, that would require that you relive the events in question. How does that make you feel?"</p><p>Harry's eye contact never wavered. "I can't think of a way to answer that, Healer Ballard. Do I want to experience the moment I discovered the victim again? Of course not. But it happened, and I know that part of being an auror is to maintain emotional distance. I can't promise I won't be affected in the future; I'm a human, after all. But I <em>know</em> I'm ready to go back to work, and if tnis is what it takes, that's fine."</p><p>Ballard nodded approvingly. "Are you prepared?"</p><p>"I am."</p><p>The healer raised his wand and whispered, "<em>Legilimens."</em></p><p>Harry could feel the pressure between his temples, the healer's will guiding his mental probe for the specific memories around the events at Potage's. He was a skilled legilimens, but he knew next to nothing about Harry, and had no reason to expect the memories he was viewing were not authentic.</p><p>The pressure eased. "So how'd I do?"</p><p>Ballard frowned, but opened up the folder, withdrawing a self-inking quill from his robes. "I still feel that it is too soon, but I can't identify any danger in allowing you to return to duty."</p><p>He began to fill out the form, missing the smile that flashed across Harry's face.</p><hr/><p>"-and that's the assignments. Any questions?" As usual, there were none. "Tonks, a moment."</p><p>"What's up? I was going to pop over to St. Mungo's and see Harry before he gets discharged, then start on my parchment-work."</p><p>The Head Auror made a face. "I'm afraid you'll need to follow me to the Director's office. She requested your presence immediately after the duty assignments."</p><p>"But-" Tonks' objections fell flat, though, as James motioned for her to come with him. She found a - in her opinion - very unwelcome surprise waiting for them in Bones' office.</p><p>"What are you doing here?" Harry merely gave her a nod, then returned to standing at attention. "You're supposed to be on medical leave!"</p><p>"Junior Auror Potter received clearance from the mind healers this morning, and has been deemed fit to return to duty."</p><p>"It's too soon-"</p><p>"You don't presume to know better than the healers at St. Mungo's, do you, Tonks? If they say he's cleared, that's good enough for me." Tonks ignored the wounded look that Harry shot in her direction. "Now, effective immediately, you're both going on special assignment."</p><p>Amelia stood from her desk, lifting up a pamphlet made out of paper, holding it out to Tonks. "Junior Auror Potter discovered this at the Grangers' residence. Take a look."</p><p>"How are we just finding out about this?"</p><p>"While Miss Granger's kidnapping and murder have received quite a bit of attention, our own investigation has shown that whoever our perpetrators are, they're smart enough to have started with muggleborn children too young for Hogwarts. The Statute protects those families from magical interference, but also kept us from learning they were being targeted until it was too late."</p><p>"You're saying what happened to Hermione was done to <em>children</em>?" Harry's expression flashed between fury and revulsion.</p><p>"That's what we're afraid of, yes. Senior Auror Scrimgeour was able to identify that our perpetrators gathered their information from the Office of Improper Use of Magic."</p><p>"We have reason to believe that every report of accidental magic by an under-age muggleborn finds its way into the hands of our perps; however, as of now, there's only three people not currently standing in this office that are aware of that."</p><p>Amelia took the pamphlet back from Tonks and returned to her seat. "This gives us an opening, and involves your special assignment. You two are going undercover as parents of an under-age muggleborn, in an attempt to draw out whoever is behind these atrocities."</p><p>Harry nodded, but Tonks was displeased. "Why Harry? My abilities are tailor-made for undercover ops, but Harry's the son of the Head Auror and the most prominent Wizengamot member in centuries! Oh, and in case you forgot, he's barely out of the Academy!"</p><p>"What the hell, Tonks!"</p><p>The Head Auror looked like he wanted to hug her, hiding his smile behind a cough, but Amelia raised an eyebrow, looking closely first at Tonks, then flicking her evaluating gaze between her and Harry.</p><p>"I have received nothing but glowing praise regarding Junior Auror Potter's abilities. What exactly are you saying, Tonks? Is there something you'd like to share about your partner with us?"</p><p>"No, it's- I'm not saying he's not a good auror, but he's still green. And it doesn't make sense for him to come along on an undercover operation - what, are we going to hide a gallon of Polyjuice in the pantry? And where the hell are we supposed to find a magical child?"</p><p>James let out a sigh when Amelia looked at him expectantly, stepping forward to address her concerns. "We've already taken care of the details, no potions will be necessary. Lady Potter didn't join the Wizengamot until Harry started at Hogwarts, so unless our criminals are his former classmates it's unlikely he'll be recognized. And given that we suspect Ministry involvement, his being a rookie is actually an advantage. And finally," James actually looked a little nervous himself at this last point, "Senior Auror Longbottom's youngest daughter has shown frequent and regular instances of accidental magic. An 'incident' will be arranged, and your undercover identities will be registered with Hopkirk's office."</p><p>"Single mothers aren't uncommon in the muggle world. I can handle this by myself."</p><p>"Aurors don't work alone, Tonks," there was steel in Amelia's voice. "This is an order. Your assignment starts tomorrow morning; deep cover, so to the rest of the world, Potter's being reassigned to liaison with the MACUSA. Tonks, your official assignment is taking part in Lady Potter's protection detail."</p><p>"How am I supposed to do that <em>and</em> work undercover?"</p><p>James had a ready reply. "Muggle mothers also commonly work outside the home, don't they? When necessary, you can leave the site of our sting operation and take a different form to guard Lady Potter."</p><p>"Do you have any concerns, Junior Auror Potter?"</p><p>"None whatsoever. I'm ready." Tonks honestly could have strangled him at that moment. '<em>And what the </em>hell<em> was going on at St. Mungo's that they cleared him in less than a day?!'</em></p><p>"Good, then you're dismissed to get your affairs in order. James, I'd like a moment alone with Junior Auror Tonks."</p><p>"Yes ma'am."</p><p>"Understood. Come on, Harry, let's go help you 'pack'."</p><p>As the door closed behind them, the office's privacy enchantments snapped back into place. "Okay, out with it. What's this really about?"</p><p>"He's not ready, especially not for <em>this</em> case."</p><p>"Senior Auror Longbottom and his partner disagree. They had nothing but praise for Harry's intuition and skills."</p><p>"He's personally involved with one of the victims! You didn't see him in that laboratory; he was- he broke down, completely."</p><p>"And the mind healers cleared him for duty." Amelia peered closely at her, and Tonks felt uncomfortable under her superior's contemplative look. "I hadn't realized there were so many problems between you and your partner."</p><p>"There's not," she said, keeping a tight rein on her abilities. "He's got great potential."</p><p>"Do you disagree with our justifications for assigning him to this case? Did we make some error in judgment?"</p><p>"No, but-"</p><p>Amelia stood up, moving to the front of her desk and leaning against it. "You know, I didn't join the force as Director. I've put in almost thirty years as an auror."</p><p>"I'm aware, ma'am. You and Master Auror Moody are Department legends."</p><p>"Mad-eye wasn't my only partner, though. After the Academy, I was placed with Charles Vance."</p><p>Tonks' brow furrowed. "I'm not familiar with that name."</p><p>"You don't have any reason to be. He was nine years older than I was, a good enough auror. Bit of a rogue, if I'm being completely honest. The sort of auror that appears in Wireless dramas more than in real life."</p><p>"Sounds like a good guy to show you the ropes at the start of your career."</p><p>"Or a quick way to get under the robes of an impressionable young woman."</p><p>She couldn't help it. Her jaw dropped. "You?" she sputtered.</p><p>Amelia removed her monocle, polishing it on a handkerchief she removed from her robes. She glanced up at Tonks' incredulous expression and chuckled. "I don't know if I should take offense at your disbelief."</p><p>"I'm sorry, ma'am, it's just- nothing. I'm sorry. So what happened to Auror Vance?"</p><p>"I doubt you'll be surprised to hear this, but Charles wasn't looking for the same thing that I was. I asked him to meet my family towards the end of our shift one day, and he very calmly informed me that's not the sort of thing a quiet shag does. Our blow-up nearly came to spells, and after my suspension for conduct unbecoming an auror, I was reassigned."</p><p>"I see."</p><p>"You've never been afraid of insubordination, but I've never seen you react like you just did out of concern for a partner. And you've had a <em>lot</em> of partners."</p><p>"They were all senior to me, I- Harry's a rookie, I have to look out for him."</p><p>Amelia nodded, replacing the monocle. "Then there's no other reason, besides concern for his welfare, for you to so vociferously object to going undercover as his wife?"</p><p>Tonks thought about the assignment; they'd be living together, cooking meals, eating together, sleeping together… "No, no problem at all."</p><p>"Okay, I'm glad to hear that. I'm proud of you for looking out for him. Who knows? Maybe you'll be to him what Mad-Eye was to me. Go on, you're dismissed."</p><p>Tonks nodded, turning to head out, but paused with her hand on the doorknob. "What ever happened to Vance?"</p><p>Amelia had returned to her seat. "Two years after I was reassigned, a routine search of a flat in Knockturn. He treated it a little <em>too </em>routinely, and took a Severing Curse to the neck. Bled out in minutes, before his new partner could subdue the criminal."</p><p>Tonks squeezed the doorknob, but didn't turn it, nor did she turn to face her boss. "Do you- I mean, if you could do it all over…" she trailed off, unsure of how to finish that question, unsure of what she was even trying to ask.</p><p>"If he were a different man, or if I were a little older, who knows?" She turned the knob, and the door opened. "Nymphadora?"</p><p>"Yes ma'am?"</p><p>"Stay focused. I don't want to find either you or Potter strapped to a table."</p><hr/><p>"What are you going to tell Mum?"</p><p>His father stiffened, and the reason why became obvious with his response. "We stick to your cover. Have you forgotten we gave oaths of secrecy? Only the Director is exempt."</p><p>"Okay."</p><p>Stepping out of the Floo, they were quickly greeted by his mother, exchanging pecks on the cheek. "My two favorite aurors!"</p><p>"Hey Mum," Harry embraced her. "I've got big news."</p><p>"Oh? Well, don't keep me in suspense, let's hear it!"</p><p>"Harry's gotten a new assignment. He'll be traveling to America, to work on a training liaison with the MACUSA law enforcement."</p><p>Lily's welcoming smile faded. "What?"</p><p>"It's a good opportunity for him, Lils. There's big differences in law enforcement from ministry to ministry."</p><p>"What about his medical leave? I thought- how did he get a new assignment so quickly?"</p><p>Harry wished everyone would stop talking about his- about the incident at Potage's. Couldn't they see it would be a lot easier for him to handle if he didn't have to be reminded of it every five minutes?</p><p>"He was cleared this morning, by mind healers at St. Mungo's. It's settled, the assignment came straight from the Director."</p><p>"Then maybe I should have a chat with Amelia."</p><p>"Mum, that's enough. I'm a Junior Auror, it's hardly unusual that the department would want me to get some extra training."</p><p>She looked flustered, thrown off by this unexpected news. "How long?"</p><p>James stepped up to answer. "Probably a month or so. It depends on what they have him do."</p><p>"What about Nymphadora? What does this mean for her?"</p><p>"She'll be part of a rotating protection detail for you."</p><p>Lily shook her head. "This just seems so sudden, I don't understand how everything could change so much in a single day."</p><p>Deciding discretion to be the better part of valor, Harry abandoned his father to deal with his mother. "Is it okay if I see Ginny before dinner? Since, you know, the reassignment and everything."</p><p>"Sure, that's fine, we understand. Make sure you're home after dinner, okay?"</p><p>"Thanks, Dad!" He hurried away, eager to try and dodge his mother's questions. Merlin knows she had a way of ferreting out information.</p><p>Throwing a pinch of Floo powder into the fireplace, he asked for and received permission to step through to the Burrow from Mr. Weasley. A clatter from upstairs preceded Ginny's arrival, his girlfriend excitedly leaping into his arms.</p><p>"Hey! It's so good to see you!"</p><p>"Good to see you, too!"</p><p>"You were supposed to call me last night! What happened?"</p><p>'<em>Ah, right'</em> he thought with some embarrassment. "I ended up having to work late, and I didn't want to wake you. I'm sorry."</p><p>"I guess I'll forgive you, provided you put that Ministry salary to use taking me out this weekend," she fired back with a grin. "The draft is one month away, and rumor has it that the Magpies are looking for a young chaser to develop!"</p><p>"Montrose? That's a great club! They were in the championship game two years ago!"</p><p>"I know!" she said, practically jumping up and down in excitement. "So, what's up?"</p><p>"I was hoping you'd come over for dinner."</p><p>Ginny made a face. "With your family?"</p><p>"Yes, what's the problem?"</p><p>"Your mother. She doesn't like me."</p><p>Well, that was hard to deny. "Come on, you know how mums are. It's not like yours is exactly 'hands-off'," he grinned, to soften his words. It didn't work.</p><p>"I'd rather not."</p><p>"C'mon, Gin, please? I got some news of my own today, and I wanted to spend time with you."</p><p>"What assignment?" Any trace of joviality was gone from her voice. "You mean you're not working with that woman any longer?"</p><p>"Yes - well, it's just temporary, but I'm getting put on a training assignment." Ginny's face lit up in a radiant smile, one that disappeared at his next words. "They're sending me to America, Ginny."</p><p>"<em>What?! </em>America, why?"</p><p>"It's to see how law enforcement operates in other countries. It's not that uncommon, especially for new aurors."</p><p>"You know," she said, her voice trembling with anger, "I've been pretty <em>fucking</em> patient with you. First, you spend an entire year locked away in the Academy, barely sending me a letter the whole time-"</p><p>"We're not supposed to have personal contact during training, I told you that!"</p><p>"-and then," she overrode his objection, having gathered a full head of steam, "you break our plans week after week, running around Merlin-knows-where with that pink-haired<em> harlot</em>-"</p><p>"Hey! Don't talk about her that way!"</p><p>"<em>Then</em> you show up here tonight, after you leave me hanging last night and tell me you're leaving the gods-damned country?!"</p><p>"I'm an auror! This is my job, you can't expect me to not do my best, anymore than I'd expect you to skip out on a quidditch skills event!"</p><p>Her face was flushed, hair askew, and still visibly upset. "How long will you be gone?"</p><p>"A month, give or take a few weeks. It's not completely decided."</p><p>"So you might not go?"</p><p>"Err, no, I meant it's not decided how <em>long</em> I'll be there."</p><p>He braced himself for another explosion, but none came. "I'd like you to leave."</p><p>"What?" Ginny <em>never</em> backed down from a fight. "I'd rather not, not like this."</p><p>"We can talk later. I just- I can't even stand <em>looking</em> at you right now."</p><p>"I've been trying to tell you, 'later' isn't going to work. I'm leaving in the morning!"</p><p>"Get <em>out.</em> Just go home, Harry."</p><p>He saw shadows under the kitchen door, and decided that perhaps discretion was the better part of valor, at least when it came to forcing his girlfriend to argue with him in earshot of her parents. He turned back to the fireplace, tossed a pinch of Floo powder and went home.</p><p>Harry expected to emerge to a silent home; his parents preferred having discussions in their room, away from him, and he had no doubts that his mother had not been thrown off the hunt for more information in the short time that he'd been at the Weasleys. So he was surprised to hear the familiar sounds of the Wizarding Wireless Network playing from the dining room, along with a spirited but good-natured conversation - with two familiar voices.</p><p>"-Joy Division is pretty good, but prog-rock doesn't have the same energy, the passion you get with The Clash."</p><p>"I think we'll have to agree to disagree, dear. What do you think of the Weird Sisters?"</p><p>Tonks laughed. "I can tell you're judging me, but I don't care. They're <em>good</em>!"</p><p>His mother waved one hand, a glass of wine held in the other. "I forget how young you are. Oh!" She finally caught sight of him, standing in the doorway. "Harry, come join us!"</p><p>"Um, what's Tonks doing here?"</p><p>"Well, I thought you'd be at the Weasleys for a while longer, and decided to invite Nymphadora over. After all, you two won't see each other for the next month."</p><p>He was quiet, watching his mother sip her wine and chat easily with his partner. There was a certain calmness, an air of relaxation that helped put him at ease after the confrontation with his girlfriend. Harry walked over, giving his mother a light hug, leaning his head on her shoulder for a moment.</p><p>"What's that for?"</p><p>"I'm going to miss you. Be careful while I'm gone, yea?"</p><p>"You don't need to worry about me, your old partner here is going to be escorting me while you're away."</p><p>Tonks blushed lightly, drinking from her own glass. "I'm just one of a rotation."</p><p>"Did you eat already?"</p><p>"Not yet."</p><p>Harry stood up, leaving his hands on her shoulders, giving a gentle squeeze. "I'll go whip something up for you. Where's Dad?"</p><p>"Said he had to discuss a few things with Frank," he glanced at Tonks, noticing her stiffen slightly at that. "Should be back soon."</p><p>Heading into the kitchen, Harry started to pull out some vegetables and lamb, preparing a simple curry that he knew his mother liked. Maybe it was an after-effect of the last two days, or maybe he was just more cognizant of the threats to her safety, but he worried about her. She <em>was</em> the most famous muggleborn in decades, after all.</p><p>Turning on the stove to heat the pan, he'd only just started to cube the meat when he heard someone clear their throat at the doorway.</p><p>"What're you making?"</p><p>"Lamb curry."</p><p>She set her wine glass down on the counter nearby, taking a glance over his shoulder at his neat and efficient chopping. "Are you any good at it?"</p><p>"I imagine you'll find out soon enough."</p><p>"Listen, about today, I just wanted to say that it's not that I don't believe in you."</p><p>Harry paused, thinking back to their interactions throughout the day. "I know."</p><p>"You don't know what it was like, hearing you scream like that, running up the stairs, not knowing if you were okay-"</p><p>"Tonks," he interrupted. "It's fine."</p><p>"Oh! Lamb curry! You really are too good to me," Lily said brightly, setting the wine bottle on the counter. "You're in for a treat, Nymphadora."</p><p>"Actually, I think I'll let Harry enjoy his last night here with you. I imagine you and I will be seeing each other soon enough, no need for me to take up your time before he leaves tomorrow."</p><p>"Nonsense!" Lily said, whipping out a corkscrew to open a new bottle. "After all, he's your partner, I'm sure you'll miss him over the next month, too."</p><p>Tonks leaned closer, bumping his shoulder with her own. Was she wearing perfume? "Ah, that's right. Make sure to bring me back a souvenir, rookie!"</p><p>"Sure thing." He gave a wan smile. "Why don't you two go enjoy yourselves, and let me get this going?"</p><p>"I've got a better idea. I know I've got an enchanted gramophone somewhere around here, why don't I dig out some of my old records and convince you that the classics really <em>are</em> better!"</p><p>Tonks locked eyes with him, shooting a surreptitious wink before sashaying out of the kitchen after his mother. Harry had only just resumed his cubing when it occurred to him. for the first time, exactly <em>what</em> a deep cover assignment as a married couple might entail.</p><p>Shaking those thoughts out of his mind, he focused on preparing dinner. Whatever it took, he was going to crack this case.</p><p>
  <strong>A/N: Surprise update. I'd like to recommend WaskeHD's "Trick or Treat", which is a pretty great little 3-chapter fic, already complete.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Not too much to say. I've been really consumed with WaR and tLC lately (if you're not reading those, I feel confident in saying you're missing out), so this story has fallen a bit to the side.</strong>
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  <strong>Stay safe, healthy, and happy! ~Frickles</strong>
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  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"For the last time, stop staring at me. Aren't you supposed to be some whiz kid at undercover work?"</p><p>"Right, sorry. I guess I'm just not used to you looking so-, uh, so…" he trailed off, clearly disturbed, but still shooting her occasional glances as he fed Adelaide some boiled carrots.</p><p>"So what?" He'd been giving her surreptitious looks from the moment they'd moved in, as soon as he'd seen the form she'd adopted for her undercover persona.</p><p>Tonks had shrunk three inches, her ebony hair wavy and stretching down to her shoulder blades, with smaller breasts and slimmer hips. She'd made her nose bigger and thinned her cheeks, and her eyes were now a light blue from their normal warm brown colour.</p><p>"It's nothing," he eventually said, smiling and bopping the little girl's nose, getting a round of delighted giggles in response. "You know, you could spend a <em>little</em> time around her, you won't catch anything."</p><p>Giving the toddler's food-stained hands and face a wary look, she gave him a weak grin. "You seem like you have everything under control."</p><p>"And what happens when the obliviation squad shows up? You're supposed to be her mother, remember?"</p><p>"How are you so good with kids? You're an only child like me!"</p><p>He shrugged, setting the bowl down and wiping her tiny hands with a napkin. "I don't know. Just never really had a problem with them," he picked up the little girl, shifting her to his hip and taking the half-empty bowl to the sink. "How much longer do you think it'll be 'til she has an incident?"</p><p>"Frank said Adelaide's had at least a dozen instances of accidental magic in the last month."</p><p>"Given who he demanded for the protection detail, I imagine we've got a limited window for something to happen."</p><p>'<em>That's an understatement'</em> she thought to herself. She took the bowl from him and set it in the sink, watching as Harry took it back out, emptied the remains of the meal in the rubbish bin, <em>then</em> put it in the sink. "Merlin. This is going to be a miserable assignment, isn't it?" They were midway through their third day in this small two-bedroom home, and besides her lack of childcare skills, things had gone pretty well in her opinion. "You know, if anyone were watching, you sleeping on the couch every night would raise some eyebrows."</p><p>He didn't respond right away and for just a moment, Tonks saw <em>something</em> flash across his features, gone in a second as he schooled his expression. "No reason for anyone to be watching except our backup at this point. I'm going to put her down for a nap, then I'll be back to clean up lunch."</p><p>"Let me take her, I'm going spare just standing around." Harry passed Adelaide over to her, and the little girl immediately began to cry, reaching out for Harry to take her back, much to his amusement. "I swear, if you don't wipe that smirk off your face, I'm going to do it for you!"</p><p>"I don't think threatening me is going to endear you to her," he said, smothering his grin. "Go on, I'll come up and help you out once I'm finished in here."</p><p>The little girl continued to inexplicably cry, reaching out her arms for Harry. "Come on, Ady, don't be difficult, we're just going to-"</p><p>Tonks never finished her sentence, for in an instant the kitchen rang with a cacophony of noise as all the dishes on the drying rack, multiple fixtures, and even the oven and refrigerator all wrenched forward, pulled towards Adelaide, the little girl sandwiched on the floor between Harry and Tonks.</p><p>"Ow! Ger'off!"</p><p>"Sorry!"</p><p>"Hands! Watch your hands!"</p><p>"Is Adelaide okay?"</p><p>The child was full of giggles, holding onto Harry's shirt as he tried to pull himself off them. "She's fine. Wow, Frank wasn't kidding!"</p><p>The kitchen was wrecked; water was flowing steadily from where the faucet had been ripped out of the wall, and there were intermittent sparks emerging from a destroyed power outlet behind where the oven used to be.</p><p>"I guess she was trying to summon me but got the whole kitchen instead," Harry said, pulling Tonks up off the floor.</p><p>"My hero," she pretended to swoon. "Did you really need to flatten me? You weigh a ton!"</p><p>"Sorry," he apologized in a halfhearted manner, turning around to take in the damage for himself. "Well, nothing to do now but wai-" she watched him adopt a terrified expression as multiple <em>cracks</em> sounded from outside. "Showtime."</p><p>"Is everyone all right?" Four Ministry Obliviators let themselves in, wands out.</p><p>"We're okay, but our kitchen just blew up!"</p><p>"Not to worry, ma'am, we'll fix it up in a jif. May we have your names?"</p><p>Harry stepped in front of Tonks, gently prying himself loose from Adelaide's grip. "I'm Leon Fields, this is my wife, Lissa, and our daughter, Sadie. What's going on? What's happening?"</p><p>"Mr Fields, I'm Sarah Longfellow, an official with the Ministry of Magic."</p><p>"Magic? What is this, are you having me on?"</p><p>She gave a disarming smile, looking over his shoulder to the little girl Tonks still held. "No, sir. I recognize that this may sound unusual, but magic is real, and your daughter there is a witch."</p><p>One of the men with Longfellow, gazing around the destroyed kitchen, gave a low whistle. "And a right powerful one, at that."</p><p>"You mean <em>Sadie </em>caused all this?"</p><p>"Good heavens!" Tonks shouted, as the man waved his wand, the damage repairing itself as though it were never there. "You weren't kidding? Magic exists?"</p><p>"It does, indeed. We work for the government, monitoring instances of accidental magic like your daughter just displayed."</p><p>It was rather bizarre, seeing Harry pretend to struggle at grasping this information. "Is this- is it common for things like this to happen?"</p><p>"In moments of high stress, her magic may react. We'll mark your address down with our office, and you'll receive some information about handling magical children. In time, your daughter will get an invitation to attend a school where she'll learn to control her magic."</p><p>"I think I need to sit down."</p><p>"I understand, ma'am, I know this is a lot to take in. Repairs all finished?" Longfellow asked her colleagues, who signalled the affirmative. "Right. Well, glad to be of service. Keep your eyes peeled for an owl, that's how our Ministry will send the information."</p><p>"Owls?"</p><p>"You'll get used to it. Happy to see everyone's all right; we'll show ourselves out." The Magic Reversal Squad filed out the door, the sounds of their apparition audible shortly after.</p><p>Tonks turned to Harry, seeing a smile break out over his face, then lifted up Adelaide to eye level, morphing her nose into a pig's snout to the child's delight. "Who's a good girl? Daddy is going to be so proud of you!"</p><hr/><p>"Knew my baby girl would come through! Thank Merlin, I think Alice might have left me if this went on much longer."</p><p>Grant laughed, standing up and stretching. "You're right, you should be thanking the gods - at the rate you two have gone, you'd have emptied the Longbottom vaults in six months, what with all the child support you'd have to pay."</p><p>"That'd still be a better use of gold than love potions, which are about the only way <em>you'd</em> get a date!" Frank left to go grab Adelaide and take her home, Grant hurrying after him to get in another jab.</p><p>"I trust my services are no longer needed?"</p><p>"No, it's all up to Harry and Tonks from here on out. Thank you for your assistance, Headmaster; I know it was an inconvenience, but Alice and Frank were terrified to involve their daughter without knowing you were there watching over her."</p><p>Dumbledore stood, mirroring Grant's earlier actions and stretched vigorously. "I look forward to doing the same in the future, once she reaches Hogwarts."</p><p>It hadn't been easy, the last three days. Dumbledore had quickly agreed to help in the case investigating Granger's death, and had enchanted a letter with compulsion charms that bewitched the elderly couple across the street from Harry and Tonks' house into taking a vacation in the Welsh countryside, one funded by the Potter vaults.</p><p>Frank had demanded that Dumbledore be present every moment that Adelaide was involved, and Grant naturally wasn't going to sit around the DMLE while his partner's youngest was taking part in a case. As for James, well…</p><p>He so wished he could talk to Lily about what was going on. Nothing felt right about this, from his son somehow getting clearance by mind healers in less than a day, to Amelia pushing him into a major case so soon, to him going undercover in an intimate fashion with a partner that had quickly become far too involved in his life in such a short time. In the end, James wasn't sure why he'd joined the surveillance unit, except that he'd <em>needed</em> to see that Harry was alright, even if it was only in glimpses from across the street.</p><p>"How will you get back? I believe I will entertain a longstanding curiosity and walk to the nearest bus stop. Muggles do have such fascinating public transit."</p><p>"Uh, I hadn't really given it much thought," James replied. It had been agreed that there would be no use of magic in the immediate vicinity of the sting once Adelaide had triggered the sensors, so the surveillance team would be departing through more mundane methods. "I'll probably just walk for a few miles and then apparate."</p><p>"Very well. I look forward to hearing of the successful resolution of this case. Until next time, Auror Potter."</p><p>Dumbledore left but James lingered behind, puttering around the house in search of the materials he was looking for. Once he'd located stamps and an envelope, he penned a quick note, slipping it into the couple's mailbox before walking away with one last, lingering glance.</p><p>
  <em>Be careful, son. I love you.</em>
</p><hr/><p>"Well, come on. I don't snore."</p><p>Harry eyed the empty space in the bed next to his partner, feeling a strange trepidation at joining her. "Is that really what you're wearing?"</p><p>She lifted the sheet, looking down at the too-large t-shirt she had on. "Yes? Why, were you expecting some scandalous teddy for our first night together? Maybe just a pair of knickers like your old housemate was looking to nab?"</p><p>He'd thought that he had developed an immunity of sorts to her teasing but apparently not, given the way he felt his face flush. "No, it's not that."</p><p>"Then let's get on with it! Merlin, you'd think you'd never slept with someone before!" His blush intensified, and he looked away, using the pretence of setting his glasses on the nightstand to avoid her shocked expression. "You're kidding me. You're not- you really haven't…?</p><p>"I'm tired, can we just drop this?"</p><p>"Right," she said, her voice suddenly sounding as nervous as his own.</p><p>They lay in bed next to each other, very consciously not touching, in awkward silence; predictably, one that Tonks soon broke. "How long do you think it will take before they make contact?"</p><p>Eyes locked straight ahead in the darkness, Harry gave a half-shrug. "I can't imagine they'd show up the day after. Guess it depends on how frequently they access Hopkirk's files."</p><p>"True." More silence, and he thought that she might have fallen asleep when she spoke up again. "So you and that little girlfriend of yours really never…?"</p><p>"Ginny's very traditional. And didn't I say to drop it?"</p><p>"Right," she said again, and this time, after some shifting around, fluffing her pillow, and a few soft sighs, Tonks <em>did</em> fall asleep.</p><p>She lied - she <em>did</em> snore, but not loudly, just enough that it was noticeable. Not that her snoring was the reason he couldn't slee but it was somewhat amusing how her earlier adamant assurance was immediately proven false. It was a pleasant thought to pass the time, as he laid there next to her, staring at the ceiling.</p><p>It wasn't that he'd avoided sharing a bed with Tonks out of embarrassment. At least, not the sort of embarrassment she'd assumed. No, it had more to do with his dreams as of late; vacillating between Hermione crying out for help on that table rather than just blinking, his mother taking Hermione's place, or even just imagined fantasies of him acting like a good friend to the lonely muggleborn.</p><p>Those last ones were the worst, for some reason. Harry knew, intrinsically, that he bore no responsibility for her death but he couldn't shake the guilt over what he'd seen of her life <em>before</em> death.</p><p>He hated this, hated being such a mess. Propping himself up on one arm, he glanced over at the woman asleep next to him, letting his gaze drift over her form, dimly lit from the streetlamps outside their window. '<em>How does she maintain her morphs, even asleep?' </em>he wondered.</p><p>Maybe it was just the stress from everything else - this case, Ginny, worry for his mother - bleeding over but Harry <em>hated</em> Tonks' assumed form. It was so static, so… so unbefitting the vibrant metamorphmagus. Usually, her appearance reflected her feelings like some sort of full-body mood ring. It made her so alive, so electrifying, so lovely-</p><p><em>'Okay, that settles it'</em> he thought to himself in amusement, <em>'I </em>must<em> be sleep-starved if this is the sort of thing coming to mind'.</em></p><p>Resolved to get some rest, nightmares be damned, Harry closed his eyes and started to breathe, slowly and deeply.</p><hr/><p>Summer lie-ins were the best kind. There was something about early mornings in the warmer season, with the sun rising early, birds chirping outside, and a muscular, hard body wrapped around hers that-</p><p>'<em>Oh</em>' Tonks stiffened but restrained herself from sitting up, her mind quickly applying context to the sensations her body experienced. For being used to sleeping alone, Harry was doing a pretty good job adapting, with one arm under her pillow, the other curled lightly around her midriff. Beneath the sheets, their legs were intertwined, and she could feel his slow and even exhalations against the nape of her neck.</p><p>Tonks wished she could turn around to see him but she had no idea whether or not he'd wake up if she did, and this felt a little too good to interrupt. So, instead, she simply laid there in his arms, wondering what he'd make her for breakfast, what Hestia was likely doing at the DMLE, whether she'd remembered to pay her rent before starting this assignment; anything, really, to offer an excuse to not get up just yet.</p><p>Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and Tonks was forced to hop out of bed to run to the bathroom to relieve her full bladder. She hoped he was still asleep; it was weird enough <em>sleeping</em> with her partner, she could do without him listening to her pee!</p><p>Mercifully, Harry had left the bedroom before finished, and by the time she got dressed and came to the kitchen, he had breakfast going. She glanced up questioningly at him when he slid a plate with two eggs and two pieces of fried bread in front of her.</p><p>"How'd you know I take my eggs sunny up?"</p><p>"I didn't, it's just the way I like them, so I-"</p><p>"-can dip the bread in the yolk," they both finished simultaneously, before exchanging cheerful smiles.</p><p>"Kind of surprised you didn't go for a full English. Where's my damn beans?" she asked, tapping the tabletop with her utensils in mock outrage.</p><p>"We're out of them, along with tomatoes. I'll need to go to the market this afternoon. Want to come with?"</p><p>"Sure. Anything else on our plate today?"</p><p>He shook his head. "Not a thing." They ate in companionable silence for several minutes, and it wasn't until their second cup of tea that Harry spoke again. "Your mother invited me to dinner."</p><p>Tonks coughed, almost choking on her tea. "She what? When?"</p><p>"At St. Mungo's, while you were asleep."</p><p>"And what did you say?"</p><p>He took another sip of his tea before answering. "I told her it was up to you if we went or not."</p><p>"Good answer."</p><p>He gathered their plates, heading over to the sink, waiting until his back was turned to casually ask, "So you don't get on with your family that well, huh?"</p><p>"I wouldn't say that."</p><p>"You tensed up at dinner when my mother asked about them. And you said you'd never been to Birmingham, even though that's where your father's family is."</p><p>Tonks, rather than respond, thought instead about how bloody annoying it was to share personal details with other aurors. It made for much less awkward conversation when her partners disliked her. "I'm not some case you're trying to crack."</p><p>"Who said you were?"</p><p>She picked up their mugs and took them over to him, setting them in the sink next to the frying pan. Harry glanced over at her, and his eyes lingered on her face just a moment too long. "Okay, seriously, what is it? Does this morph remind you of someone or something?"</p><p>"It's not that."</p><p>"Then what is it? I'm getting a little tired of those weird looks whenever you see my face."</p><p>She expected him to say that she looked like a girl he knew, or that her form wasn't to his liking. Whatever she'd been expecting, it wasn't the answer she got. "I don't like seeing you in the same form. Something's missing when you try to be 'normal'."</p><p>Maybe if he hadn't just asked about her relationship with her family, it wouldn't have happened. Or maybe something like this had been in the cards since that day at the muggle shopping centre, when she'd realized that she didn't just need him to keep her job, but that she wanted <em>him</em>, specifically, as her partner.</p><p>Or maybe the 'why' didn't matter at all, and hearing him say that he liked her brash, outlandish nature was enough on its own. Whatever the reason, he'd barely finished speaking before she'd pressed herself against him, their lips crashing into each other, tongues swirling together intimately, furiously kissing for several long seconds.</p><p>The plate he'd been holding was shattered to pieces in the sink, but neither one of them acknowledged it, Tonks, lifting her hands to his jaw to tilt his head in order to deepen their kiss; and Harry's wet, soapy hands landing on her hips, pulling her tighter against him.</p><p>"<em>Fuck!"</em> he hissed, turning his head away and breaking the kiss. "I can't do this. I'm sorry."</p><p>Tonks licked her lips, tasting him on them. "Don't apologize, it was my fault. I- it was unprofessional and inappropriate."</p><p>She couldn't help but notice the way that his stormy emerald eyes were still locked on her lips. "A clear violation of DMLE fraternization policy," he mumbled.</p><p>"Exactly." Tonks could feel his hands, still gripping her hips, the water on his hands making her thin shirt feel like it wasn't there at all. '<em>Down girl!'</em> she silently commanded herself, placing her hands on his wrists to loosen herself from his grasp and take a step back.</p><p>Finally, he looked away, running an agitated hand through his hair. "Um, I think I'm going to go for a run. I skipped my morning workout, got to burn off all that fried food we just ate."</p><p>"Good idea, newbie, you better be in tip-top shape if you expect to keep up with-" she abruptly closed her mouth, mortified at the double entendre she nearly committed. "Uh, I'm going to go hop in the shower." '<em>A very cold shower'.</em></p><p>Merlin, what had she done?</p><hr/><p>Neither of them avoided the other for the rest of the day. It was, for Harry, as though both of them were struggling to fit into their previous roles for each other but couldn't quite manage; like trying to force two mismatched puzzle pieces together. They joked over lunch - takeout from an Indian joint down the street - about Harry's childhood, swapped stories of life in Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, discussed spellwork to use in various scenarios and situations. All the while, both consciously avoided any discussion of what had taken place after breakfast.</p><p>He knew he should feel guilty. That was obvious, his mother and father had taught him <em>not </em>to be a cad, and cheating on one's girlfriend certainly violated that principle. Nevertheless, Harry found that he was far more concerned over how the kiss would change his relationship with his partner than he was over the consequences for his relationship with his girlfriend.</p><p>If only he hadn't left things with Ginny on such bad terms, he told himself, eyes locked onto the brief flash of Tonks' stomach when she stretched her arms, then things wouldn't be this way. Then <em>he</em> wouldn't feel this way, consciously choosing to ignore the multiple instances where he'd been well aware of an intense attraction towards her.</p><p>"This is good, thanks for cooking," Tonks said, pushing her vegetable stir-fry back and forth on her plate. "I'm glad at least one of us is capable in the kitchen, or it'd be takeout for the duration of this case. What made you learn?"</p><p>He shrugged. "Mum had a lot on her plate, between taking care of me and keeping the house in order. Then, after I went to Hogwarts she was on the Wizengamot, so they were both busy with important work. Just seemed like a good way for me to help out. What do you eat at home?"</p><p>Tonks considered his question for a few seconds, swallowing her bite. "I like pizza. And Nando's."</p><p>"I don't know how you stay so fit- um, well, I just mean nutrition is important," he stuttered. '<em>This is ridiculous'</em> "Can we talk about what happened this morning?"</p><p>"We don't <em>have</em> to if you don't want to," she said, but carefully set her silverware on the table anyway.</p><p>"Why did you kiss me?"</p><p>She took a drink of water but didn't avoid his eyes while she prepared her response. "It was what you said. About liking that I was different."</p><p>"And… and that made you want to kiss me?"</p><p>"No- well, sort of. It's not like I go snogging everyone that says I'm weird, you know," she began, and they shared a smile. "It's sort of the reason that I don't get to see my dad's family. He's a muggleborn, you know, only one in his family to have magic. Besides his parents, none of his relatives are in on the secret."</p><p>"That can be tough," Harry said, knowing his mother had a lot of difficulties when she was younger, straddling the line between two worlds.</p><p>"He's still close with all of them, so he manages."</p><p>Harry was starting to catch on. "But he manages without you?"</p><p>"When I was little, I had a really hard time with my abilities. It wasn't until after my OWL year that I learned to maintain one form no matter what I was feeling at that moment. Before then, well, you've seen what it's like when I'm relaxed."</p><p>"I was around six years old when I overheard my parents arguing one night. My dad's birthday was coming up, and he was going to go see his family. Mum wanted to bring me along, to meet them, and he, uh, he said that he wished I was normal, so that he could take me with him."</p><p>"I'm sure he didn't mean-"</p><p>"Relax, I enforce the Statute of Secrecy for a living now, I know the rules. I get that he was in a tough spot. But things like that have a way of framing the way you look at the world. From then on, it always felt like I was letting them down. So when you said what you did, I don't know, it was like- like you accepted every part of me."</p><p>Harry stared. He'd never seen Tonks display this sort of vulnerability, not even when they'd had arguments, or when he was in the hospital. She continued to meet his eyes, entirely unashamed and unapologetic. "You can jump in anytime, rookie."</p><p>"Sorry. I mean, okay. I get it."</p><p>"So we're still good? You're not worried I'm going to declare my undying love for you at any moment now?"</p><p>They laughed together. It felt good, to defuse the tension, and in that moment, he'd never been more grateful to have her as a partner. "We're good. Thanks, for telling me that."</p><p>And just like that, things were back to normal. They hung out together, watching old muggle movies and snacking, as though nothing had happened. And if he occasionally stared a moment too long, or felt her eyes on him when she should have been watching the telly, that was okay, too. It was just the kind of camaraderie that came with two partners that trusted one another.</p><hr/><p>Tonks was exhausted. The whole day was just so damn draining, from the- from what happened after breakfast, to feeling like she was on tenterhooks the entire afternoon, waiting for him to inevitably bring it up, to having to reveal something that she considered incredibly personal… it had just been a long day. Harry had hopped in the shower, and she was stuck waiting for him to come out so she could brush her teeth.</p><p>She still couldn't believe she kissed him. Sure, she was more of a casual dater than 'relationship material', but even still; he was her partner, and he was involved with someone. It was hard to pinpoint exactly when it started, but this morning made it painfully clear that she had at some point along the way started thinking of Harry as more than just a coworker.</p><p>It was Hestia's fault, most assuredly. Tonks couldn't wait to hex her silly the moment she ran across that loud-mouthed witch!</p><p>Pulled out of her meandering thoughts by the water shutting off, Tonks waited on the bed until the door opened a crack, a rush of steam exiting the bathroom. Already in her nightclothes, she stood and knocked quietly.</p><p>"Hey, you decent? I wanted to brush my teeth and wash my face before bed."</p><p>"Sure, come on in."</p><p>The door opened all the way, revealing her shirtless partner clad only in light cotton trousers tied at the waist, hair still wet from bathing. Her eyes locked onto a droplet of water, following its path as it slid down his neck, pooling momentarily along the hollow of his collarbone before overflowing and tracing a liquid path down his chest.</p><p>"Tonks?"</p><p>Her eyes darted up to meet his, and she gave a weak smile, feeling the blood thundering in her ears. Was it her, or was his voice deeper than usual?</p><p>Harry stood still, partially in the doorway, and didn't appear set to move out of the way, so Tonks slid past him, the two of them sharply inhaling as her breasts grazed his chest. There was this electricity in the air, charging every point of contact between them. Surely he felt it too, for he put one arm on the bathroom counter, stopping her from making her way fully past him.</p><p>Tonks <em>wasn't</em> going to kiss him, she promised herself she wouldn't. But as he pressed against her, one hand on her arse lifting her onto the counter, she rationalized that it wasn't <em>technically</em> a broken promise if <em>he</em> kissed <em>her.</em></p><p>A pause, for her to raise her arms while he lifted her shirt off her, and then the kiss resumed, her hands blindly fumbling with the drawstring to his pyjama bottoms, groaning victoriously as they dropped around his ankles. Rather than pull back, Harry tucked a lock of pink curls behind her ear and deepened their kiss, simply ripping her knickers off of her, and then his moans chorused with her own, their hips rocking back and forth.</p><p>Merlin, why hadn't she done this sooner?</p><p>
  <strong>A/N: Phew! Getting a little steamy!</strong>
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  <strong>Two more fics to update, then I am taking a break. Hope you enjoyed! It's funny, AGT is arguably my most popular fic, but probably my least favorite of my own work. Just never really caught my fancy.</strong>
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  <strong>Let me know what you think!</strong>
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  <strong>Stay safe, healthy, and happy! ~Frickles</strong>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Naturally, Harry had no trouble sleeping. It was almost a relief to see that in at least one way, he was just like every other man. '<em>That isn't entirely fair</em>' she thought with a small grin, the light sprinkling of his chest hair tickling at her lips as she smiled. After all, she'd ridden him hard, both literally and figuratively.</p><p>There was little doubt he was a virgin, but Harry had potential, and he hadn't learned any bad habits that she'd need to train him out of. Their second time had been much better, especially once the sink faucet wasn't digging into the small of her back. Just thinking about it made her want to wake him up and see if he'd be able to improve upon that performance, but he'd earned his rest.</p><p>She knew what they were doing was wrong, in more ways than one. If they were found out, they'd never be allowed to work with each other again, and with her track record, she could pretty much guarantee she'd lose any chance of removing "Junior" from her title before she turned thirty.</p><p>It wouldn't be any better for Harry. A scandal like this would damage not just his reputation but that of his father as well. He wanted this career as much as she did; could she really justify letting him take that sort of risk when he'd finally reached the point he'd been working towards his whole life? And that wasn't even touching on his relationship with his little girlfriend; Tonks might not think all that much of her, but did that give her the right to decide <em>for</em> him that they didn't belong together? All for- for what, exactly?</p><p>Harry murmured her name in his sleep, and his arms tightened around her momentarily before relaxing once more. No, it wasn't right. She was older, she knew better, knew the consequences of what was, really, just unresolved sexual tension that they'd given into. He was fresh out of the Academy, so young and inexperienced.</p><p>She couldn't let him make this mistake. Not for her. She'd tell him in the morning, Tonks decided. Just tell him it was a mistake, that it wouldn't happen again, and that she'd just- she'd just been-</p><p>Not wanting to wake him up, Tonks didn't wipe away the tears that tumbled down her cheeks. This was for the best, it was the right thing to do, so why- why was this so hard?</p><hr/><p>Harry opened his eyes, vision obscured by a mess of black hair. Her body was so soft against his, her flesh supple with just hints of the muscle he knew she carried. He was impressed; she must have made sure to revert to the appearance of her cover before she'd fallen asleep.</p><p>Last night had been- wow. He couldn't wait to be with her again. It wasn't just the sex, although that was <em>brilliant</em>, no; things with Tonks were just so natural. She was funny, always ready with jokes or teasing, but at the same time, she knew when he needed her to be caring and supportive. He could talk to her, really <em>talk</em> to her, without grasping for conversation or feeling forced.</p><p>Gently taking hold of her shoulders, he eased her sleeping body off of him, the volume and tenor of her snores increasing as he slid her onto her back, stealthily creeping out of the bed to dress and start his morning workout.</p><p>As he ran through the muggle neighbourhood, in his own mind Harry ran through what would come next. He'd have to talk to Ginny, and own up to what he'd done. '<em>Merlin, better make sure I've got a Shield Charm</em> <em>ready when I break </em>that<em> news' </em>he realized, knowing her temper was not something to take lightly.</p><p>The slap of his trainers on the pavement beat a steady rhythm as he ran, offering a comforting backdrop to work out how things would change. He couldn't tell his parents, not with his father's position. They'd have to switch partners before going public as a couple, a thought that caused him to stutter his steps. '<em>Give up working with Tonks?'</em> He didn't much like the sound of that.</p><p>No matter, there was time to talk out how they'd deal with what had changed between them. He finished his run, then started his calisthenics and push-ups in the living room before creeping back upstairs.</p><p>Tonks was already awake when he entered the room, staring blankly at the wall with her arms wrapped around her knees.</p><p>"Hey, good morning," he said, coming around to give her a kiss.</p><p>She didn't open her mouth, turning his greeting into what amounted to an extended peck. "Um, we should probably talk about what happened…" she began, trailing off as he pulled off his sweat-soaked shirt.</p><p>"Oh. Okay, yea, I think that's probably a good idea."</p><p>He started, feeling her fingertips run down his chest. "You were, uh, going to take a shower?"</p><p>"It can wait, if you want to talk first."</p><p>Slinging her legs to the floor, she got out of bed, her light touches now heavy gropes. "A shower sounds like a good plan."</p><p>Harry was in full agreement, and although their combined shower didn't include much in the way of washing, they did manage to discover exactly how long it took to use all of the hot water. When the shower ran cold, they didn't even bother drying off before moving to the bed, their wet slippery bodies sliding together again and again.</p><p>It was past noon when they finally dressed and made it downstairs for something to eat. "Is there anything you want for breakfast?"</p><p>"Listen, we need to talk. About this, us."</p><p>Harry sat down at the table across from her. "Yea, you're probably right."</p><p>"I think- I mean, it's natural that something like this might happen," she started, her eyes locked on her hands, which were curling as though around an imaginary mug. "It was just a mistake. We're here in this house, <em>alone</em>, and sleeping in the same bed, and-"</p><p>"Why are you doing this?" he interrupted. "It's obvious you're lying, you can't even meet my eyes!"</p><p>Tonks met his gaze, opening her mouth to speak, but he overrode her. "This - <em>us</em> - it's not something that 'just happened'. You can't tell me if you were partnered with Shacklebolt, or Williamson, it would have gone the same way."</p><p>"Of course not!" she responded with considerable heat, clearly offended. "Look, I'm not denying that I'm attracted to you. And I- uh, what we did was great, but I just wanted to make sure you didn't get the wrong idea about what it means."</p><p>"I know what it meant to me."</p><p>She gave him a soft smile, and one of her clenched hands relaxed, reaching out to take his. "You've got your whole life outside this assignment, you can't throw it away for <em>this</em>."</p><p>"So what is 'this', then?"</p><p>"It's just a case. An undercover assignment."</p><p>Harry closed his mouth, swallowing his immediate dismissal of her words, much as he wanted to refute what she was saying, it was like a fist of ice clenched in his gut. Right, the case; that was what mattered. He was just mixed up, he told himself, pulling his hand out of her grasp. "Okay. I'm- I'll make us some tea, then get lunch going."</p><p>"Let me help, you've been cooking and cleaning the whole time we've been here," she said, pushing her chair away from the table and following him to the refrigerator.</p><p>Together, they assembled a simple lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup, working side by side at the stove. They ate silently, and unlike the day before, this time the tension between them was awkward and overly apparent. Tonks gathered the dishes from the table and took them to the sink, starting the water and grabbing the sponge.</p><p>He couldn't stand this, wouldn't be able to pretend like it was nothing but hormones. Harry wasn't sure <em>what</em> it was they'd started, but he knew without a shadow of a doubt that it wasn't something he could brush off. And he knew, with the same certainty, that she felt the same way.</p><p>Tonks stiffened as he approached her from behind, softly whispering his name in reproach. "What are you doing?" she asked, but she still raised her head, giving him easier access to trail a line of kisses down her throat. "We went over this, Harry, please don't…"</p><p>He clenched his fingers, gripping her waist firmly and spun her around, their faces only inches apart. "It's for the case, Auror Tonks. We've got to sell our cover as a young married couple, don't we?"</p><p>The conflicted expression that she wore softened, and he watched her eyes quickly shift to her natural warm brown before reverting in an instant. "You're right," she agreed, tugging at his belt, "You'd better give me your all, rookie, I wasn't quite convinced this morning."</p><p>Harry lifted her, feeling her legs lock around his midsection as he carried over to the table, then proceeded to do exactly as any good auror should, following the orders of his superior officer.</p><hr/><p>It had been ten days, and they'd seen no sign of this muggleborn support group.</p><p>He had nightmares again last night. After the third time, Tonks had stopped asking what they were about; she didn't like the way his eyes grew guarded, his expression carefully schooled in a shallow imitation of normalcy. She knew he <em>wasn't</em> okay, but what could she do about it? Break their cover and tell Bones he couldn't handle the case? If only those <em>idiots</em> at St. Mungo's could do their jobs right!</p><p>In the end, Tonks decided that if he was having trouble sleeping, she'd just have to make sure he was too exhausted to dream at all. Since their visit from the obliviators, they'd scarcely come up for air, drowning each other in pleasure morning, noon, and night. He was as enthusiastic a lover as she'd ever had, and there had been plenty of time for her to teach him exactly what she liked.</p><p>She'd never had this sort of instantaneous chemistry with a man; it was like-, like <em>magic</em>, she thought with a grin. Sending him off on his morning run with a kiss, Tonks was weighing whether or not to go back to sleep for a while longer, or to start the kettle and enjoy a cup of tea before a long soak in the bathtub when a knock sounded at the front door.</p><p>Quickly tying her robe together, Tonks opened the door. "Can I help you?"</p><p>"Courier service ma'am, got a certified letter here for a Lissa Fields."</p><p>"That's me."</p><p>"Sign here, please," a clipboard was shoved into her face. "Much obliged, have a good'un!"</p><p>Closing the door and opening up the parcel, Tonks read through the parchment contained within. Being here with Harry like this, it was like she really was Lissa Fields, a young wife with no responsibilities. The orders from the DMLE were an unwelcome reminder that their time together was finite, that all too soon she was going to have to let him go, return to their normal lives - working at the DMLE, going home to her empty apartment, avoiding her mother.</p><p>And Harry, he would continue to impress the brass at the department. Partners came up for review every eighteen months, and though it seemed unlikely to her that he'd request someone else, there was no guarantee that Scrimgeour would keep them together. Would he marry that little girlfriend of his? The very thought of Harry lying with that-, that… with <em>her</em> made Tonks' blood boil.</p><p>Then again, the Weasley girl didn't seem to be quite as enamoured with her partner as Tonks would have assumed. '<em>Good thing she was so-, how did he term it? </em>Traditional<em>?'</em> If she'd experienced what Tonks had, she'd never let him go. Oh well. Weasley's loss would be her… her what? It's not as though any of the reasons that kept them apart would change just because he was suddenly single.</p><p>No, this was all they could ever have. The front door opened and she was quick to greet him. There was something about seeing him slick with sweat, face flushed with exertion, his tight exercise clothing clinging to his body. Tonks licked her lips, and she watched his eyes darken at her hungry expression. She'd tell him about her orders soon, she promised herself, biting down on his shoulder, Harry holding her up with his arms as he thrust against her just inside the doorway.</p><p>It had been ten days, and Tonks was- she was…</p><p>She was just doing her job, none of this had anything to do with her feelings. This was only for their cover, right?</p><hr/><p>Breakfast just wasn't the same without Harry. Lily might have only just got him back from the Academy but she treasured having her family start every morning together.</p><p>"What are your plans for the day?"</p><p>"Nothing too grand. Did my request go through?"</p><p>"It did. Nymphadora will be by at eleven."</p><p>Lily smiled. At least she'd have someone to commiserate with. '<em>Honestly, it's been two weeks and he can't even send a letter?'</em> "Good," she responded simply, though she couldn't help but add, "I think if I had to tolerate Proudfoot patting down every person that looked twice at me for another day, I'd lose my mind!"</p><p>James sighed. "Lils, he's doing his job. What do you think a protection detail means?"</p><p>"I'm just glad that Nymphadora is finally free. I don't understand why you can't just permanently assign her to me until Harry returns."</p><p>"Auror Tonks has other duties to attend to. Now I really need to get to the office. Love you," he said, and with a quick kiss, left in a surge of green flames.</p><p>Lily puttered around for a few hours, read over some proposals for the upcoming Wizengamot session, caught up with her correspondence, and in no time at all, there came an announcing charm signalling her bodyguard's arrival.</p><p>"Nymphadora, how delightful to see you again!"</p><p>"Hello, Lady Potter, it's good to be here," came the cheerful reply, and the Lady Potter gave the younger woman an appraisal for the first time in two weeks.</p><p>She was positively <em>glowing</em>. There were only two reasons why a woman wore a look like <em>that</em>. "How has work gone? With Harry off doing his training in America, did you get a new assignment? Something exciting, something you've been looking forward to?"</p><p>"Er, nope. I mean, no, I didn't."</p><p>"Really? I assumed you were busy; after all, every time I've been granted an auror to accompany me, I requested you."</p><p>"We're assigned on a rotation, ma'am. I've just been riding a desk, working on a parchment allergy." '<em>Oh, you've been riding </em>something<em> all right'</em></p><p>"None of that 'ma'am' business, understand? Call me Lily!"</p><p>She watched Nymphadora give a hesitant grin. "So what are we going to get into today?"</p><p>"I thought we'd take a stroll through Diagon. I need to pick up some more owl treats at Eyelop's, Harry's owl has been disconsolate since he left. Then, maybe some lunch before I have to go to the Ministry."</p><p>"Sounds like a full day!" Tonks chirped, and Lily suppressed her frown, gathering her things to head out.</p><p>The signs were all there, for anyone who took the time to look for them. An extra bounce in her step, smiles just a fraction wider than normal, sentences occasionally drifting off. '<em>Poor Harry'</em> Lily thought, he's barely left the country and Tonks already found someone else. It wasn't until they passed the apothecary and Tonks mumbled something about needing a headache potion, though, that Lily decided to speak up.</p><p>"Sorry! I've just been so busy lately, it's been hard to get my order filled," she said, hurrying out of the potions shop.</p><p>Lily looped her arm through the auror's, giving a sly smile in reply. "Oh, come now, Nymphadora, you don't need to make excuses to me. I've taken a contraceptive potion a time or two in my life, you know."</p><p>Hair cycling through a series of colours, a blush appearing, vanishing, then reappearing, Tonks sputtered out, "What?"</p><p>"No need to be embarrassed, dear, it's just us ladies. So, tell me, what's he like?"</p><p>"It- it's nothing serious. Really, just a little fling."</p><p>Lily took in that admission, pausing outside the door to Eyelop's Owl Emporium. "Really?"</p><p>"Definitely. Just a distraction, someone to pass the time with. There's nothing there."</p><p>Some of the happiness in her features dimmed with those words, and Lily felt terrible. Not only did Tonks fall into this new man's bed, he didn't even appreciate her! She <em>knew</em> Harry would be a better match; things had been progressing so well, why did he have to get sent on that Merlin-forsaken training mission!</p><p>"Well, if you ever need to talk, I'm happy to listen. Sometimes we old folks do have some wisdom to share, you know," she offered, smiling as Tonks immediately claimed Lily wasn't old.</p><p>Purchases made at the magical pet shop, the two crossed over into muggle London for lunch. Lily's eyebrows raised when Tonks suggested lamb curry, but kept her thoughts to herself. Thankfully - or not, given that her hopes for a relationship between Harry and his partner were crumbling to ruin with every word - Nymphadora raised the topic once more after their food arrived.</p><p>"Before you and the Head Auror were together, did you- did you ever have a hard time keeping things casual with men you were involved with?"</p><p>Lily found herself blushing. "Ah, well, the thing is, James is the only- I mean, there wasn't anyone else." That response seemed to make Tonks look equal parts mortified and miserable, so she hurriedly added, "But there was someone, while I was at Hogwarts, who I thought was a friend. He misinterpreted things in a big way, and- well, I'm sure you can guess how that went."</p><p>Tonks nodded, and Lily continued. "Sometimes you just have to be firm. If this man is pressuring you, he's not worth your time."</p><p>"Yea."</p><p>"That's not what's going on, though, is it?"</p><p>Pushing her curry back and forth on the plate, the other woman shook her head. "No. It just can't work between us, no matter how much we might want it to."</p><p>"He's not married, is he?"</p><p>"No, he's not." '<em>Thank Merlin!'</em> "It's complicated. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."</p><p>Reaching over to pat her hand, Lily shot her a sympathetic smile. "It's okay. Life would be a lot easier if we could choose who we fall in love with, wouldn't it?"</p><p>Despite her own disappointment, a giggle escaped when Tonks' jaw dropped, mouthing the word 'love' to herself.</p><p>"Come along, dear, let's grab the bill and head to the Ministry."</p><hr/><p>She felt like her head was spinning the whole way to the Ministry. 'Love'? Who said anything about love? '<em>Ugh'</em> she grumbled to herself, '<em>Why couldn't I keep my big mouth shut? What is Lily going to think if she ever finds out I've been corrupting her perfect son?'</em> Tonks wished that Lily's three-o'clock appointment would hurry up and get here. Once she checked this person out, she'd go see if Hestia was free while Lily was in the meeting.</p><p>"Oh, hello! Were you meeting with Lady Potter as well?"</p><p>"No, I'm assigned to guard her for the day. <em>You're</em> her three-o'clock?"</p><p>Luna Lovegood smiled and nodded, her protuberant eyes unfocused and wandering. "That's right. We're discussing the upcoming budget appropriations bill that the Wizengamot will be debating." The ethereal blonde looked around. "I don't suppose that Harry is here, also?"</p><p>Tonks bristled at the innocent question. "No, he's not. Anyway, aren't you supposed to be working?"</p><p>"I suppose you're right. Oh my!" she remarked, her silver eyes locking onto Tonks for the first time. "That's quite the wrackspurt infestation you've got."</p><p>"Miss Lovegood!" Lily must have heard them talking from inside her office. "It's been far too long. You look fantastic! I admit to some misgivings, but it seems taking that job with Black has worked out after all. Won't you come in?"</p><p>"Just a second," Tonks ordered, whipping her wand out and casting a number of detection charms. She almost wished something would have turned up, but instead gave the 'all-clear', and Lily beckoned her in and closed the door.</p><p>There was something about that girl that Tonks didn't trust. Still, surliness aside, she was back in the Ministry for the first time in weeks.</p><p>To no one's surprise, her friend wasn't busy. "It can't be, Junior Auror Tonks? Who'd you piss off this time, girl? I haven't seen you in forever, and you never respond to my letters!"</p><p>"Easy, Hestia, I've just been busy. Anything new going on around here?"</p><p>"The department's still in a tizzy over the Granger girl's death. Everyone knows what happened, but there haven't been any updates on the investigation."</p><p>"I know, that was horrible. I hope that they make a break in the case soon."</p><p>Hestia looked her over. "I heard Harry's on assignment across the pond."</p><p>"Yea, he is."</p><p>"So, what have you been doing, then? Crying yourself to sleep at night? Blowing your whole paycheck at Florean's?"</p><p>Tonks rolled her eyes. "Quit being so dramatic and rein in that imagination. I'm part of the protection detail for Lady Potter."</p><p>Hestia whistled appreciatively. "You better stay on your toes. She's ruffling a lot of feathers with this new transparency initiative."</p><p>"Oh? What's that now?"</p><p>"You didn't hear? What, have you been spending all your time under a rock or something?" Hestia's expression turned mischievous. "Or, maybe you've been underneath some<em>one</em>?"</p><p>"Honestly, can you be serious for once in your life?"</p><p>As usual, Hestia saw right through her. "Oh gods! What's his name? Where'd you meet him?"</p><p>"It's nobody-"</p><p>"Don't tell me it's another muggle! I'm starting to think you've got some kind of fetish-"</p><p>"<em>HESTIA!</em> Would you shut up and just tell me about this transparency thing?"</p><p>Her best friend chuckled, waving her hand as though the news were unimportant. "She's pushing to add an audit to the budget package. Something about making the Ministry more accountable to the people."</p><p>"That doesn't sound all that controversial to me."</p><p>"Me neither, but we aren't the ones deciding how to spend all that gold, are we?" Hestia looked around, despite there being no one in the corridor with them, and lowered her voice. "Apparently even Bones is annoyed. Gave an interview to the <em>Prophet</em> defending unfettered access to discretionary funds."</p><p>"I see."</p><p>"So this guy, is he any good?" Tonks' blush gave the answer her silence sought to mask, and Hestia squealed in delight. "Whoa, if he meets <em>your </em>standards, it must be mind-blowing!"</p><p>"Can you drop it?" Why did she think that talking to Hestia was a good idea? "I should probably get going."</p><p>"Don't do anything I wouldn't!" Her friend called out as she walked away. "Wait, who am I talking to? Just don't do anything I wouldn't <em>twice!</em>"</p><p>Leaning against the wall outside Lily's office, Tonks luxuriated in the freedom of being able to shift her form at will. It was so nice to relax; while changing forms was effortless, being stuck in one morph was like… it was like being forced to hold an uncomfortable posture for hours on end. Just irritating enough that it was impossible to get used to.</p><p>She was pulled out of her thoughts as the door opened, Lovegood's voice sounding unusually serious. "-oppose such a controversial addition to the appropriations bill."</p><p>"The director can deal with it. No other department gets away with such a free hand at the public treasury. If you ask me, it's long past time he accepted some oversight."</p><p>"Thank you for meeting with me."</p><p>"Of course! It's such a pleasure to see you, all grown up and out in the world."</p><p>"When does Harry get back?" That question was asked just a bit <em>too</em> innocently, in Tonks' opinion. "It would be nice to see him again, I missed him quite a lot while he was at the Academy."</p><p>"It shouldn't be more than a few weeks, I'll make sure that he sends you an owl when he returns."</p><p>The two women stepped fully out of the office, and Tonks glowered at the blush adorning Lovegood's cheeks. "You can let him know I'm free for dinner most nights."</p><p>'<em>Oh she </em>is<em>, is she?'</em> "If you're finished, I should really get Lady Potter back to her home."</p><p>Lily raised an eyebrow at her bodyguard's expression. "Let me just grab some parchment-work to take with me, I won't be but a moment!"</p><p>"What do you think you're doing? She hissed at the blonde. "You know Harry's got a girlfriend."</p><p>Lovegood cocked her head at her aggressive tone. "Of course, she's one of my closest friends. I would never do anything to hurt her."</p><p>"Then maybe you shouldn't be moving in on her boyfriend." '<em>What world is this, where I'm defending his relationship with his little girlfriend?'</em></p><p>"It was Ginevra that suggested I spend more time with him."</p><p>She didn't know how to react to that, and was still flummoxed when Lily reemerged. "Is everything alright, girls?"</p><p>What a crazy, backwards day. She hoped that Harry had rested up while she was gone because she had a <em>lot</em> of tension that he was going to need to work out of her, preferably by pounding her through the mattress.</p><hr/><p>He wondered if Tonks would bring home any updates on the investigation. It was a little eerie, being alone in this house for the first time. Unsurprisingly, there wasn't much to do; without her here, the waiting was dull and monotonous.</p><p>Harry occupied himself by doing laundry, making himself lunch and then cleaning the kitchen. Muggle television, not particularly interesting to him at its best, was practically unbearable in the daytime, so he put on the radio instead, humming along to unfamiliar songs and meandering about the small house.</p><p>The buzzer rang while he was chopping vegetables, preparing a beef stew for dinner. Quickly drying his hands, he hurried to the door, opening it to find two unfamiliar men.</p><p>"We're looking for the Fields family."</p><p>"I'm Leon Fields," he answered, looking them over. His instructors at the Academy had dated notions about muggle fashion and customs, but the clothes that these men wore would have been old-fashioned when his parents were at Hogwarts. "Can I help you?"</p><p>"We understand that, like us, your child has magic. Rather shocking, isn't it?"</p><p>"It certainly is." This was it. They'd finally made contact! "How did you learn about my daughter?"</p><p>"From their Ministry, of course. I'm Aidan Scabior, and this is Gus. Both of our sons are wizards, just like your daughter. When we found out, we had no idea how to react, and their government wasn't much help."</p><p>"I'll say," Harry agreed, "They said that I'd be receiving an information packet, but I've not seen any sign of it so far."</p><p>"I wouldn't hold your breath," 'Gus' said knowingly, "That's where we come in."</p><p>"In what way?"</p><p>"Well, once your children turn eleven, they'll receive an invitation to attend a special school where they'll learn magic. Before then, however, you're very much on your own," Scabior took over from his companion, holding out a familiar pamphlet. "So some normal parents lobbied and got permission to form a group for families like ours, to help ease the transition until your child is of age. It's a great way to get some help with things that you can't talk about with just anyone."</p><p>"Sounds like a great idea," he said, trying not to appear too eager. "When is the next meeting?"</p><p>"Tonight. In fact, if you'd like to gather your wife and daughter, we'd be happy to give you a ride."</p><p>Harry looked over their shoulder at the empty street behind them. "Sorry mate, the missus took my little girl to her mother's for the night. They won't be back until the morning." The two men exchanged surreptitious glances. "I'm sure we'll be able to attend the next meeting, tho-"</p><p>"<em>Imperio,"</em> Scabior incanted, and Harry felt the comfortable lightness settle over him like a warm blanket. "What are you looking at? We don't have all day, we'll just come back in the morning for the brat and the bint."</p><p>It was a struggle, forcing himself to not immediately break the curse; this Scabior might have been able to control muggles but he certainly lacked the magical strength to subdue Harry. Relaxing into the Unforgivable's compulsion, he did his best to relax his mind.</p><p>"That may be true, but we do this act for a reason - now's not the time to get sloppy. Don't forget who's in charge of this operation. You're an errand boy, don't you forget it."</p><p>"Whatever, it wasn't my fault that your little hideout got busted. Should I side-along him or will you?"</p><p>"You take him, but have him leave a note for his family. We don't want them calling the muggle aurors." Gus vanished with a <em>crack</em>.</p><p>The command echoed through his mind, a silky suggestion to write a message to his wife so that she wouldn't worry for him. Harry took the pamphlet in his hand, wandering away from the door to seek out a pen, noting in dismay that Scabior followed him inside. Looks like his wand would remain upstairs in the nightstand drawer.</p><p>Scribbling a quick note on the back of the pamphlet for 'Lissa', Harry set the pen down, leaving it on the kitchen table, eyeing the stew that was thankfully at a low simmer while Scabior read over his words. He hoped that he'd be back to enjoy the meal with her later tonight.</p><p>Scabior latched onto his arm, and with a familiar sensation of squeezing through a tube, Harry vanished.</p><p>
  <strong>A/N: Nauze tells me that this story is officially fully deserving of the M rating now. It's just hard to write Tonks and not making her... aggressive? Is that the word I'm looking for?</strong>
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  <strong>Anyway, here's another update. Story's not abandoned, and I've officially started posting sneak peeks of this story in addition to the ones I release of WaR on my discord server. Link's in my profile.</strong>
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  <strong>I would recc a story here that I want more people to read, but lately I've just been working and thinking about Wrath and Remorse. That story is really hitting its stride - while ASAoV is rough at the start and shows my inexperience, WaR is definitely the most well-conceived and original of my stories. If you're ever in the mood for something new, check it out.</strong>
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